


King of My Heart

by pls_let_me_in



Series: King of My Heart [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Falling In Love, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Multi, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Nico, Prince Nico di Angelo, Sad Will Solace, from a tumblr prompt, honestly i'm still deciding, i will add something else, i will go down with tumblr propmts, i won't add the other characters, i'll add the other characters as they appear - Freeform, i've just decided they still have powers, it doesn't stop me from doing this, it's a lie i changed my mind, one might ask "do you have anything more than an aesthetic and a vague idea of the plot?", the answer is a clear and loud no, to be honest they're kind of a lot to write here even though they do appear, you can take this prompt out of my dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:01:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 61,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pls_let_me_in/pseuds/pls_let_me_in
Summary: "Oh, dear. He didn't marry you to become king. He became king to marry you."
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: King of My Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1785730
Comments: 97
Kudos: 216





	1. Prologue (read as: divorce)

Five months have passed since Crown Prince Nico of Aita’s marriage to William of House Usil, after four years of engagement. Four years in which they’ve seen very little of each other.  
Being prince, Nico has always known he wouldn’t marry for love, but for political or economical reasons. He was ready to have a steady and friendly relationship with his husband –for he has never imagined to marry a woman, if not in his darkest and saddest moments– and he has accepted his fate long ago. That was, until the oppressing silences came, and he couldn’t bare the words on the tip of his tongue anymore.  
The worst thing is, Nico is going to give Lord William up. He can’t bear seeing him so sad anymore. In their shared quarters, in which they are never themselves. As of now, they are right there, Nico at the table with papers in front of him, and Lord William on the sofa in front of the windows, a book on his lap. His eyes haven’t been on the page for almost an hour, always darting to the garden. In the furrow of his eyebrows is written his desire of going outside, where the sun will be warm, and bring out his freckles even more.  
This façade will come to an end, is Nico’s last thought, before he walks up to Lord William, setting himself in front of the windows. He clears his throat.  
“Lord William,” he says, taking a breath deep enough to make him cough. “We will need a divorce.”  
And so Lord William faints.


	2. how good can flower crowns look on a ghost's head?

Lord William stirs in his sleep, his feet hanging from the sofa. His eyes flutter under his eyelids, covered in those little freckles. Nico hadn’t noticed he has them on his eyes. It’s fascinating.

“Would you please tell me under which circumstances he’s fainted?” Lady Reyna asks.

Nico shrugs, dropping on the armrest of the golden armchair. “I don’t know. Happiness, I suppose.”

Lady Reyna shakes her head, pacing up and down the room. The court physician is still looking at Lord William, trying her best to ignore the prince and the lady’s conversation. A valiant job.

“What were the two of you doing?” Reyna asks again, for what feels like the hundredth time.

Nico rubs the sore spot on his shoulder, where she’s hit him upon arriving, when she was sure no one was watching.

Lady Reyna has been his father’s ward since he was fourteen, only a short time before his and Lord William’s engagement was finalized. She hadn’t liked it for a single moment, she’s even told his father and the whole council.

Nico clears his throat. “I don’t, uh. I don’t really know.” He clears his throat again.

Reyna narrows her eyes, then turns to the physician. “How much longer do you have?”

“It’s difficult to tell, my-”

“Then we will leave you alone to work better.” She turns to Nico again, and he squirms in his place. “To your study, Your Highness.”

Nico internally screams. How fortunate. He follows Reyna to the study, his head hung low. Reyna stays by the door, and shuts it before he can say a word.

He sits behind the desk, where he’s already sat many times with Will next to him. Nico remembers stealing glances at Will, before the coldness fell between them. His heart squeezes in his chest, locked in a golden cage.

Reyna leaves her purple cloak on sofa next to the bookshelf. “I’m not here as the King’s Ward,” she says.

Nico crosses his arms, resting against the soft leather of the chair. After Will leaves, will the other chair be left unused?

“I think we should ready my old quarters,” he says at last.

The sky has started to fade from blue to orange, a star has already appeared. Bright in its mockery to Nico’s darkness.

“What for?” Reyna asks. “Do you not like these? They are bigger, and Hazel still lives in your old quarters. Actually, she’s thinking of inviting Lady Circe’s daughter to live with her. She might become your father’s ward.”

Nico nods. “Then other rooms will be good. Single rooms.”

“You have started concerning me. What is it? Are you not happy?”

“It’s not about me. It’s about my husband.”

Reyna raises her eyebrows. “Is he not of your liking?”

“It’s not that. It’s-” _he’s not happy here,_ “we-” _this place is eating him away,_ “I want a divorce.”

The shock is clear on Reyna’s face. Not only has Nico long since stopped struggling to find his words, but he has also never hinted to a divorce.

“Why?”

Nico shrugs. “He doesn’t love me. This marriage is nothing but a lie.”

“Wait, is that what you told him before he fainted?”

Heat spreads on Nico’s cheeks. “I mean –I didn’t mean for him to have that reaction! I wanted to warn him, about the fact that I wanted to take it to the council.”

“How long have you been thinking about it?”

“Quite some time now.” He leans forward, drumming his fingers on the table. He looks at his rings, and how they catch the light. It’s easier to look at them, than at the judgment in Reyna’s eyes.

Reyna puts her braid on her shoulder. “And do you know if he’s thought about it?”

“We don’t really speak.”

“Have you tried sharing the same bed?”

“Reyna!”

She shakes her head, a small smile tugging her lips. “You know, servants talk. They say you haven’t slept together since the wedding, they have started wondering.”

“I don’t want to talk about _that._ ”

About how they’ve both stared at the ceiling in the darkness, not moving from their spot, never getting into each other’s zone. The fireworks were brightening the sky, people’s cheer had turned into a constant background noise. Sometimes, Nico could see Lord William’s silhouette in the dark. He’d drunk wine during the day, maybe a bit too much, and his fingers longed to trail the outline of William.

Still, he hadn’t. He hadn’t moved nor talked, and Lord William had done the same. Nico hadn’t slept, and when the sun had started rising, guilt and shame tugging his stomach, Lord William had sneaked out of bed. He hadn’t returned in Nico’s bedroom ever since.

“Asking for a divorce might bring war,” Lady Reyna continues, standing straighter on the chair. “We both know how dramatic Lord William’s father is.”

Nico nods. “You really think it’ll bring to war?”

“For many years we’ve been on the edge of war with Zeus’s empire. Lord Apollo might be the one starting it.”

“I thought the marriage between me and his son would bring us to an alliance.”

“It has, and it will continue to strengthen said alliance if we manage to keep it going. A divorce might be seen as an offence.”

“If Apollo saw his son now, that would be to war. He hasn’t smiled in days.”

Reyna’s eyebrows shot up. “I-Are you sure? I really hadn’t noticed.”

Nico nods, the knot in his chest tightens again. “Yes, I am. We’re often next to each other. He doesn’t –he isn’t happy here, Reyna.” Nico lets his hands fall on his lap. “He needs the divorce.”

“Are you sure he does?” Nico widens his eyes, leaning forward. Reyna raises her hand, as though to shield herself from him. “Okay, okay. You are. What I think, is that we should think this through a little more before taking the matter to the council. They would eat you alive for it.”

“I can give it another month. Then I will go to the council.”

Reyna nods. “I can work with that. I will speak to His Highness about it.”

_His highness._ Nico may call him Lord William all he wants, but since the wedding he’s acquired the status of prince. All the classes he’s taking to be a good king one day… they’re useless in the end. Nico can’t help but wonder if Lord William will remarry. With the knot in his chest once again tighter, he wishes Lord William happiness.

“Of course. You may go, Lady Reyna.”

And with a courtesy, she leaves.

Supper is always silent. No matter how many words Princess Hazel and Her Majesty Queen Persephone speak, the room is too big to be filled. The only sounds Nico seems to hear are the forks scraping the dishes.

“They say I might become a Priestess, if I wished so,” Hazel is saying. Her legs bounce against the floor, her eyes shine as bright as stars. Nico wonders if he’s ever been so excited about something. “I won’t, of course.”

The silence stretches far longer than usual, to the point that even Nico raises his eyes from the table. His father, King Hades, looks as though he’s been punched in the face. It would bring a spark of amusement to Nico, if only the tension weren’t so dense.

“You can still learn their ways, Your Highness. Even if you aren’t strictly one of them,” Lord William says at last.

The King’s eyes dart from his daughter to him. He raises an eyebrow, silently. Nico swallows, second hand embarrassment killing him. No one who stands up to his father can stand for long.

So Nico dares himself, and looks over at Lord William. He hasn’t looked at Lord William all evening. When he got out of his study, Lord William had already left. Probably to the library or the infirmary, the only two places in the palace Nico has ever seen him in.

He looks like the washed version of his younger self. When they first met, Lord William had so many freckles Nico could get lost trying to count them. Hazel has always liked painting, before finding her style she’d tried many different ones. She’d done a painting with little dots, which didn’t mean much when you looked at them too closely, but for a little further away you could see the figures. Nico had wondered if that was how the gods had painted Lord William.

Under the freckles, young Lord William’s skin was golden and rich. His hair was the same color as the grain in Lady Demeter’s territories, a golden crown of his own. Curly and unruly, they made him seem even younger. He’d smiled, outshining every star of the night sky.

Now he looks like a ghost. His freckles have almost disappeared, his hair are kept from his face with gel, almost brown, like dead leaves in the autumn, ready to fall from the branches.

“How do you know that, Lord William?” The King asks.

“My sister Kayla will join them next autumn, when she is old enough. My brother Michael and I helped her do some research beforehand, Your Majesty.”

“And would you help me, Lord William?” Hazel asks, leaning slightly forward. Her golden eyes dart to Nico, as though to ask him permission to speak with his husband. “I would like to do some research, too. I don’t really know where to start.”

A small smile tugs Lord William’s lips, and Nico wishes for it to be his default expression, rather than a mere occasional thing. “It would be my honor, with His Majesty’s permission.”

Everyone turns to look at the King. Hades gives them a tight lipped smile. “Speak about it with your tutors, Hazel. We will see what they think.”

This isn’t the end of it, Nico knows. He has the confirmation when, after the dessert, everyone leaves for their rooms, but the King and Queen ask him to stay behind. Lord William doesn’t need to ask him if he has to wait.

Nico sits before the fire, on the sofa next to the Queen. Her gowns brush against his legs, in no position can he escape their touch. It annoys him beyond reason.

He looks at his father, sitting on the dark armchair. Black and golden, the colors of House Pluto. Their house, their legacy.

The red ruby on the King’s crown catches the light of the flames. Alight from the gods themselves, it is described in the papers.

“I wonder how your husband is doing,” the King says. “He looks well.”

Nico raises his eyebrows. Is his father joking? How insensible of him! He clears his throat. “Of course,” he speaks through gritted teeth.

The Queen leans forward to rest her hand on her husband’s knee. Nico silently thanks her, anger burns hot in his father’s eyes.

“How are you finding married life?” she asks. “Is it of your liking?”

“It isn’t much different from my normal life,” he says. He straightens the collar of his shirt, hating the way his fingers tremble. “It’s better for me than for him, after all. He’s left his family behind.”

The Queen chuckles. “Leaving my family behind was my favorite part about the marriage to your father.”

“I remember tears at the wedding from Lord William’s family,” Hades muses. “Mostly from his father.”

Heat spreads on Nico’s cheeks. “I don’t remember.”

He remembers. It would be really difficult not to.

“Does he miss them?” The King asks.

_Wouldn’t I miss you if it were me in Lord William’s place? Wouldn’t I want to go home, where people are warm and kind?_

“Yes, I suppose he does.”

The King nods. His eyes drop to the empty glass in his hand, the regret for shooing the servants away is clear in his eyes. “Would he like to visit them?”

Would he? Never has a question seemed so hard. Wouldn’t Nico want to? But he has to think practically. Would Lord William talk to his father about the divorce? Nico has promised Reyna to wait some time before doing it with his own father, but Lord William is bound by no promise. Would Lord Apollo move to war?

The Queen calls his name, shaking his shoulder with no force nor ill intent. Nico blinks.

“You should ask him if he wants to,” he says at last.

The King eyes him suspiciously. “I trusted you would know your husband well enough to give me an answer.”

Nico shrugs. “I can’t decide for him, can I? If he wishes to be with his family, then so be it.”

“He would stay for two weeks at best. He has duties.” The King leans forward. “Why are you so distracted, Nico?”

Nico rises to his feet. “I’m tired, Father. I would gladly go to sleep.”

The Queen rises as well. “We should all go to sleep.” She kisses Nico’s cheek, the wetness makes Nico’s fingers curl, with the need to brush it away. “Good night, Nico. Hades, come on.”

The King follows his Queen outside, but his gaze is still burning in Nico’s back. Once alone, he can’t delay his departure to the shared quarters.

Lord William is sitting on the windowsill, his legs up to his chest. His forearms are resting on his knees, he almost looks peaceful. Nico would think he’s sleeping, but as soon as the door shuts behind him, Lord William turns to look at him.

“Can you not sleep?” Nico asks. He takes off his coat, and leaving it on the coat hanger.

Lord William is still wearing his. The dark blue looks more like black in the late night darkness.

“I haven’t tried yet,” he replies. His voice is hoarse, and the tiredness shines bright in his eyes. It almost looks like a layer of tears, Nico hopes it isn’t. “Should we talk about the-?” He moves his hands in the air. The word weighs on them both.

_Divorce. Failure._

Nico nods. “Yes. Yes, alright.” He moves a chair to stand next to Lord William, but once he sits none of them talks.

Nico clears his throat. “My father would like you to visit your family.”

Lord William’s gaze falls to the floor. “Would he?”

“Yes. It may do you some good. I, uh, I would like you to do it. If that’s what you want, too.”

Lord William nods. In the early days of their knowledge, Lord William always wanted to talk. Nico had wished he would shut up, stop blabbing for just one minute. It was exhausting, and it made Nico appreciate the end of the day more, when he would be in the quite of his room. That is, during his stay in Delphi. Three days of only spending his time with Lord William and his talks. Back in Caere, he had started disliking the silences. Lord William’s family always had something to talk about.

“When do you want to leave?” Nico asks.

“I was waiting for you to tell me. Lady Reyna said you would.” Lord William finally raises his eyes from the carpet again.

“I haven’t thought about it. Did Lady Reyna already know my father wanted you to spend some time with your family?”

Lord William blinks. “I was talking about the divorce.”

“Oh. Yes, that–that, too.” Nico brushes his hair away from his face. He doesn’t use nearly as much gel as Lord William does. He smells Lord William’s perfume from here. _Intoxicating_. “Yes. I mean, it will take some time. We would need to finalize everything first.”

“I will have to talk to my father, then. I suppose that’s why you’re sending me to them.”

Nico struggles to find the words, blushing furiously. _Sending to them?_ Does he think Nico sees him as mail? How can he think such things? Does he not know Nico at all?

“No, actually that’s not the reason at all,” Nico says. Is he the only one hearing the bark in his tone? He hopes so. “This _thing_ in our marriage, we can’t talk about it with anyone.”

“Shall we fill the papers on our own?” There is no bark in Lord William’s words, if the slightest undertone of resentment.

“Not now. Lady Reyna will think about it. We will keep the matter private.” Nico rises, pacing up and down the room as he talks. Hopefully, the guards outside won’t hear their conversation.

“Of course.” Lord William’s lips are tightly shut. How soft they were the first time Nico kissed him, the night of their wedding. It already feels like a lifetime ago. Will Lord William ever look back at their wedding, and the time they’ve spent together? Although they are married, they’re little more than stranger.

“My father doesn’t know about it, nor does the council,” Nico continues. “I would like to keep it that way for now.”

“You have already said that, Your Highness. I assure you, I won’t go around saying it.”

Nico stops in front of the bookshelf. Lord William has brought many books with him, for his studies. Will they have to go through every book and sort them out? Divide between Nico’s and Lord William’s? He hopes not. It would take eternity.

Nico nods. “I’ll go to sleep, then. Good night, Lord William.”

Lord William doesn’t tear his eyes away from the window as he replies. “Good night, Your Highness.”

His words leave a stain of vapor on the glass. He doesn’t notice.

Nico wakes with the sun. Not by choice, there’s someone banging on his door.

“Get out of bed!” Hazel is screaming at the top of her lungs.

Nico groans in his pillow. How can someone have so much energy to waste at dawn? “What do you want?” he shouts in response.

Hazel huffs. “We’re getting flowers! You promised you’d come with me. Aren’t you dressed? And can’t you open the door? My throat is burning!”

Nico groans louder. “It’s dawn! Dawn! Of course I’m sleeping!”

Hazel bangs on his door once more. “Get out of bed! Will and I are already dressed and ready to go. Even the horses are ready to go!”

“Then go!” he says, detangling himself from the blankets. Dear gods, how long has he slept? Five minutes?

He stumbles to the door, and unlocks it. Hazel turns away, telling him to cover up. Luckily, his manservant steps inside. He already has everything ready for Nico to wear.

Just a normal black riding outfit, the same he’s worn for years now. When he gets out, all he can see is how much Lord William’s outfit compliments him. Black boots, brown pants, white shirt. It won’t be hard for him to find a new husband. Hoping the marriage with Nico hasn’t traumatized him for the rest of his life.

Hazel clears her throat, startling Nico. “You’ll eat breakfast riding out. Come on, we’re already late!”

She drags him out by the arm, as though someone might steal the flowers before they reach them. Nico turns to Lord William, to ask him if he’s already eaten, but Lord William is avoiding his eyes.

Lord William sits on his horse as he does everything else. With decency. He doesn’t stop quite as often as Hazel does, to admire flowers, or to point out a particular cloud. She’s almost sixteen, but when they are out of the castle, both the royal siblings can act as they please.

Nico remembers Lord William being as lively as Hazel, if not more, when he was younger. Not that they are old now, they are both almost nineteen.

“I’ve just realized I’ve never been to your home town, Will,” Hazel carelessly says, as their horses pass over a bridge. “Could you describe it?”

The ghost of a smile traces Lord William’s lips. “Of course, Your Highness. In my father’s territories the sun always shines, it doesn’t rain often. The summer is so hot we can only dress in cotton or silk, and clothes stick to our body as a second skin. Old people are locked in their houses until the sun goes down, they would risk their lives otherwise.”

“But young people can go around?” Hazel asks.

Nico’s heart squeezes as he sees the familiarity his sister already has with Lord William. Will they write to each other after Lord William leaves?

“Yes, of course. I used to go to the caste square with my brothers, in the east wing. There’s a big fountain, we would play there with the other boys of the castle. The girls are luckier, they use Selene’s gardens, in the north wing. There are many fountains, and mostly in the shadows, thanks to some towers that create shadows. Also, they are closer to the kitchens. They always had fresh food.”

Hazel beams. “It sounds lovely. Doesn’t it, Nico?”

Both of them turn to look at Nico. He blushes, as he hasn’t been able to pay real attention to the conversation, looking at Lord William’s excitement as he talked about his family.

Nico clears his throat. “Lovely indeed.”

Lord William blushes as well, and quickly turns to the road in front of him.

Hazel rolls her eyes. For what, Nico isn’t sure. Before Nico can so much as groan in frustration, they have reached a clearing. Hazel dismounts, and a guard helps Lord William doing the same. Peculiar, since Lord William has never needed any help with it.

“Can you control that we are safe here?” Hazel asks, looking around. “I would feel much better.”

Nico lets his magic wander, and the shadows tell him that they are already safe. He doesn’t say it as the guards move. Only one stays behind, the same boy who’s helped Lord William earlier.

Nico looks at him with a raised eyebrow, his best impression of his father. “Will you not control, too?” he asks.

The irritation is clear in the guard’s eyes. He can’t do anything but obey his prince, and Nico almost feels victorious.

Hazel has placed a blanket on the ground, with a basket full of food. She sits, but doesn’t touch the food until Lord William and Nico do the same.

“I can’t believe father has sent so many guards with us,” she says, shaking her head.

“I can,” Nico grumbles, taking a sandwich from the basket. He ignores the flavor of tomatoes as best as he can. “About the thing with Circe, are you still thinking of going there?”

Hazel shrugs. “Father won’t allow me. Having the princess join Aiaia’s Witches wouldn’t do well to the image of the kingdom.”

Nico turns to Lord William. “Was it true what you said, Lord William? Can one learn witchcraft without going to Aiaia?”

“From what I know, Your Highness.” He looks at Hazel, diplomacy slowly falls from him, as a mask he only wears when looking at Nico. “You might need a witch to teach you. With the King’s permission, I can ask someone from Delphi to come here.”

Hazel smiles. “Would you?”

Lord William nods. “If it helps you, of course I will.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to me,” Hazel says. She looks over at Nico, just for a second, maybe less. “To both of us.”

“Yes, of course.” Nico nods, blushing under Lord William’s gaze. “A lot.”

Lord William gives another little smile, and Nico’s heart squeezes once more. How many smiles do they have left for each other? Will Lord William hate him after the divorce?

“We just need to convince Father,” Hazel says.

Her golden eyes fall on Nico’s blade, which he’s left on the edge of the blanket as he sat. Far enough to not annoy him, close enough to take it upon the smallest threat. Not that he doesn’t trust the guards with his life, but this is also about Lord William and Hazel’s lives. Better safe than sorry. When their eyes meet again, challenge shines in hers.

“Sparring match?” she asks.

Nico smiles.

Nico can’t bend to save his life, his back is so sore he fears the moment he’ll mount on his horse to get back to the palace. Lord William is walking with Hazel on the other side of the clearing, their heads bent closely together as they speak of the flowers they’ve picked so far. They, as in the two of them, while Nico lies under the shadow of a tree.

Lord William looks healthier than he has in the past few months. Still, his smile isn’t his. It hangs almost loosely on his mouth, not with the passion it once has.

Nico almost feels Lord Minos next to him. _How damaged are you leaving him?_

Nico closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he’s almost sure Minos was just in his imagination. He still feels viscid and rotten.

On their way back to the castle, Hazel and Lord William wear matching flower crowns. They’ve tried to get Nico into one as well, he has refused until they (Hazel) have given up. He has it hanging on his belt, bouncing at every move of his horse.

“Do you see it?” Hazel asks, her index pointing to the castle. Nico narrows his eyes, still he doesn’t see what she’s referring to, until he does, and he wishes he hadn’t.

“Is it from Nethuns?” Lord William asks, squinting his eyes as well.

Nico groans in desperation. “Let it not be Percy.”

Hazel laughs, and sends her horse racing down the hills. Nico shakes his head before doing exactly the same.

It is indeed Prince Perseus who waits for them just outside the gates. He’s laying like a cat under the sun, whose last rays are turning everything into gold. He grins as he sees the royal siblings approach, yet he doesn’t stand and bow. Why would he? After all, they’ve known each other for years.

Hazel sits next to the prince, although in a more formal manner. She looks around, and once she’s sure there’s no one, she presses a kiss on Percy’s cheek. Nico’s stomach turns in a rather ugly knot.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, beaming as though he’s brought all the stars in the sky with him. Her expression changes in less than a second. “Tell me it isn’t war again.”

Percy stands straighter. “No, no! Luckily, it is under much merrier circumstances I’m here.”

Nico raises an eyebrow, sitting on the staircase with his back against one of the olives, his body turned to the white wall.

“Is that why you’re sitting here like a homeless man?” Nico asks.

Hazel cuffs him on the shoulder, and Percy snorts.

“Yes, actually it is. I wanted to tell you before announcing it to the court, and to your father with them. I’m the most honored man alive,” he says with a small, slowly taking off the brown glove from his right hand, and Nico feels it coming like a blow in the guts, “when I say I am to marry Lady Annabeth of Menerva.”

Nico looks at the blue ring on Prince Perseus’s hand, the same color as the sea, and the cloak he wears. Nico is no idiot, he knew Annabeth and Percy would start a family sooner or later. Then why does it feel like there’s no air for him to breath?

Hazel has the opposite reaction. She shrieks, loudly enough to startle both men, then throws herself in Percy’s arms, sending them both to butt their heads against the wall. Nico manages to fake a smile as they both laugh.

“So? What do you say?” Percy asks, putting his fingers before Nico’s eyes. Nico can almost see himself reflected in that endless blue. “Happy for me?”

Nico clears his burning throat. “Yes, of course. Congratulations. Annabeth…?”

“She couldn’t come here. She’s delivering the news to her mother, although I think she already knows,” Percy says. “Annabeth thought it would be better if she did it alone.”

“And you let her?” Hazel asks, jokingly raising an eyebrow. Everyone knows Percy and Annabeth would go to the end of the world for each other. Many say Percy has won the war for her, what they ignore is that Annabeth has been next to Percy for the whole time. They don’t spend much time apart, except when Annabeth has duties to her mother, who can’t stand the sight of Percy.

“It’s only a couple of days. Unless Lady Athena decides to kidnap Annabeth. Then I’ll move to war.” He laughs, and Nico’s heart clenches in a fist of agony. Lord Apollo might declare war to Aita, with whom would Percy and Nethuns stand?

“Do you have a date?” Hazel asks.

“Well, we have a season,” Percy replies. “This autumn. We know it isn’t a long time to organize a royal wedding, but we don’t mean to make it a big deal.” His eyes turn mischievous, his grin widens. “Unlike someone else.” His foot bumps into Nico’s forearm, and Nico bats it away. “So, how’s married life?”

And this isn’t one of Nico’s proudest moments. He opens his mouth. _Badly. Horribly._ He shuts his mouth, opens it again not long after. _I’m divorcing._ He closes it again, and raises a finger. He opens his mouth again. _My husband is fading before my eyes, and I can’t help him._

Percy’s glinting eyes move to look at something behind Nico’s shoulder, and Nico can breathe again. Only for a moment, then Percy is raising his hand in greeting.

“Will! Finally I see you! Come here!” he shouts.

Will. Nico remembers suddenly that Percy has known Lord William, far longer than Nico himself has. How old were they? Percy eleven, Lord William nine, or ten. They’ve met each other in a war camp, if Nico remembers correctly, then they’ve both been moved to the biggest camp. Camp Half Blood, the most obnoxious place to ever exist.

Percy greets Lord William with a hug, then drops again on the staircase. Lord William stands rather awkwardly.

“We’ve last seen each other at the wedding, right?” Percy continues. “We were just talking about you. How are you finding married life? I can tell you this same question has left Nico speechless.”

Nico blushes, as Lord William suddenly stops playing with the hem of his cloak. “I can only imagine,” he says. “It is as one would have expected. Always moving together, sharing everything, you know. One soul divided in two bodies.”

Nico has never heard so much bitterness in Lord William’s words, and he doubts it is directed to Percy. It is against Nico, and how can Nico blame him? The last phrase is taken from the vows they’ve sworn to the gods, in front of their families.

“Lord-” Nico starts.

Lord William leaves before Nico can end whatever he was about to say, his long cloak brushes against the marble staircase. Humiliation burns hot under Nico’s skin, slowly it turns into anger.

Percy whistles, but there is no amusement on his face, nor in his eyes. Such a rare sight. “Neeks? Is everything alright?”

Nico snaps. “Of course. And don’t call me that.” He stands and leaves, following the same path Lord William has taken. They aren’t directed to the same place, Nico is no fool, he won’t just follow Lord William to suffer his moods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an epiphany, and now there is more than an aesthetic. Leave an opinion, I'm a validation needy bitch, pls


	3. some people marry for love

King Hades has never liked Prince Perseus. There are many reasons behind that, one of them is that he looks like the dumber version of his father. The King isn’t an extremely word-person, he doesn’t feel the need to fill the silences, a trait he’s passed to his son. Yet, the whole castle seems to know the dislike of the King to the Prince Perseus. They’ve arranged his chambers to be as far away as possible from the King’s, and the quarters the King spends more time in.

He ends up being close to Hazel’s quarters, which brings joy to both of them.

“You’re sharing quarters with Will, right?” Percy asks. Nico nods briefly. “It’s one of the thing I’m looking the most forward to.” He wiggles his eyebrows, making Nico blush, and Hazel throw a pillow on his face. Percy only laughs.

It takes way too long to Nico’s liking for Percy to settle in. How he has brought his whole closet with him is beyond Nico’s imagination.

Hazel crosses her legs, and clears her throat. They speak of the same thing they always speak about: their friends. Luckily, Hazel and Percy have already gotten through Percy’s marriage details, while Nico was calming his mood. So they speak of their friends.

Jason is spending the summer at Lady Aphrodite’s, Piper’s mother, palace, under the pretenses of studying his powers. His step-mother, Queen Hera, didn’t want him to, but he has managed to get past her.

Leo is in Delphi, his studies are sponsored by Lord Apollo. Nico has always known Leo and Lord William are still in contact, they’ve known each other at Camp Half Blood.

Grover is traveling in the wild east, gathering the nymphs who’ve survived the war. He wishes for them to find a new home, maybe fill the voids in south-west Aita, where Gaia’s great dragons have burned the ground.

Tyson works in Lord Hephaestus caves, with some of the strongest and wisest cyclops ever lived.

When Percy starts talking of Thalia, Nico asks him to stop. He doesn’t wish to know where she is, or how she’s doing. A part of him hopes she and the others Hunters are miserable, and living in despair. He knows it is a mere and stupid hope, too selfish for a future king, so he shuts it.

Lord William isn’t in their shared quarters, or in the library. In the infirmary, the court physician tells Nico that she hasn’t seen him since _Prince_ William has fainted. Nico checks in the shared quarters again, then the library again, and finally gives up. He seeks for Reyna.

“He’s ran away!” he screams, opening the door.

She startles, the feather falls from her hands to the pavement, where it leaves a stain of ink.

“Dear gods!” she exclaims, picking up the feather. She uses the hem of her gown to clean the stain. “What has happened?”

Nico falls on the chair in front of her desk, taking his head between his hands. “Lord William has ran away.”

Reyna’s mouth opens in a o. “Oh.” She looks at him for one more second, before jumping from the chair. She flees the room, Nico right behind her.

“Hedge!” she screams at the top of her lungs. “Hedge!”

It takes them a few minutes to find the captain of the guard. Nico’s heart is bumping hard and fast in his chest, the only sound he can hear, and not only for the run.

There’s an exchange between Reyna and Hedge, Nico misses it entirely. He gets back into himself only when Hedge calls other guards.

Absently he checks for his sword, following the guards out of the palace grounds.

A hand on his shoulder blocks him as he takes the reins of his horse. He turns, and finds Reyna behind him.

“Where are you going?” she asks. “You need to go to your father.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Nico sees a young guard looking at him. He’s already seen the boy, he’s the one who’s helped Lord William down his horse.

“You can do it. Actually, we can both do it later. I won’t force you to come, but you know the city better than most people. You can’t force me to stay. I will fill the papers after we find Lord William.”

As he mounts the horse, he can see duty and heart battling on Lady Reyna’s face.

“You won’t go to the dangerous parts of the city,” she says at last. “And cover your face with the cloak. Don’t get attention on yourself, use your shadows to find him if it is necessary. And for the love of the gods, don’t get yourself killed.” She turns to the stable boy, on her face descends the mask of skilled commander and ward of the King. “Bring me a horse, and be quick.”

As he rides from the stables to the gates, Nico remembers the last time he’s been in such a hurry. He was, what, twelve?, standing next to his father as they led the army to war. He doesn’t often let himself wander about the war days, they already feel like a faraway life. Now he can rest knowing the people he loves won’t die, or so he likes to think. What if something happens to Lord William? Nico doesn’t love him, but he cares deeply about his wellbeing. When they married, Lord William became one of his subjects. Nico is his prince, of course he cares about Lord William.

Where would Lord William go? Nico isn’t surprised at not having a clear answer. There’s the library, he may have gone there. Or to the hospital, so that is where Nico checks. Of course, he doesn’t find him.

When Nico was younger, he used to visit the city with Bianca, his older sister. When the war started, dangerous people started wandering through the town, and they couldn’t leave the palace anymore. Nico remembers those days with chills.

This not-knowing is killing him, as a hot blade through the heart. He can feel it entering from his back, waiting just the last twist, when Nico will be told the fatidic words.

_We are very sorry, Your Highness. We haven’t been able to find Lord William._

He goes back to the town square. Nico squeezes his eyes shut, and uncovers his head. The warm rays caress his head. Nico clears his throat, standing straighter. He’s never lost his composure, not in public, and not in a long time. People start to look at him, whispering to each other in the old dialect.

_Ma è il principe? La sua spada nera! Come osa mostrare la sua faccia qui? Non ha vergogna? Un’altra guerra. Dicono che la sua spada sia diventata nera dopo che ha rubato le anime dei nemici._

Is that the prince? His black sword! How dares he show his face here? Doesn’t he have some shame? Another war. It is said that his sword turned black after stealing the enemies’ souls.

“My husband-” Nico is saying, when his voice is covered by that of the captain of the guard.

“Clear the town square at once!” Hedge shouts, entering on his goat’s legs. Although he’s a short man –or satyr–, with his cape he imposes on the crowd. Beside him, on the “Clear the square in the name of the King!”

Nico startles, as people move around the horse, fleeing the square. At the end, Nico has never seen it so empty, nor so silent. He turns again, to look at the stairs Reyna and Hedge are coming from.

“It was rather peculiar,” Reyna says, “to find a Prince, and start looking for the other immediately after.” She puts her hands on her hips, the purple cloak opens to show her whole disapproving frame.

“Where is he?” Nico asks, pulling the rein to move the horse. With a jump, he’s beyond the stairs, directed to the castle. Even from this far, Nico can see that the gates are open. They must be waiting for him, it is well past the time they usually close the gates. “How is he?”

Reyna shakes her head, mounting the horse she’d left behind. “You shouldn’t worry about him. The King will give you an earful, he was livid.”

“And was he wrong?” Captain Hedge says, in his normal tone, which is a shout to everyone else.

“But I’m worrying about Lord William, you know, my husband who ran away,” Nico says.

Reyna huffs, something she wouldn’t do in the palace. “Should we tell the King that his son has deliberately disobeyed my orders?”

Nico smiles at her. “I’m the crown prince. I outrank you.” He understands it was the wrong thing to say when Reyna sends him a death glare.

“I will make sure you spend all the free time you think you have with Alecto, if you dare saying something like that ever again. I am here as your friend, who has helped you find your missing husband, not as your father’s ward. Treat me as such.”

Heat spreads on Nico’s cheeks and neck. “I’m sorry.”

“I know,” she says. “So I will forgive you. Don’t do it again.”

“What about Lord William?” Nico asks. “Is he alright?”

Lady Reyna assumes a thoughtful expression, and Hedge jumps in to fill Nico.

And so Nico discovers that _Prince_ William has been found by sir Sherman, and the realization hits Nico rather suddenly. How has he forgotten? Son of Lord Ares, he’s moved to Aita shortly after the end of the war, with enough medals to become a palace guard. And now he goes around helping Lord William dismount his horse.

“Where did you say he was?” Nico asks, interrupting Reyna and Hedge’s conversation.

“Not far from the gates. Sir Sherman has found him rather quickly, he says he already knew where to look. He-”

Nico interrupts Reyna again. “Then why didn’t he talk earlier? Before we moved half the palace?”

“He says you didn’t leave him time to-” she tries to say.

“So it is my fault.”

“No one said that.”

“It sounds like what this sir Sherman says.”

“He is a war hero, Your Highness,” Reyna says. “And a close acquaintance to Prince William.”

Nico raises his eyebrow. “A close acquaintance? How close is that _close_?”

“I wouldn’t know, Nico.”

“They were together at Camp Half Blood,” Hedge says. “I remember them. Always sneaking around the camp. The soldier and the healer.”

Nico sees red. “My husband’s mistress is in my castle?” Truth is, in this moment he forgets everything he has ever learnt of etiquette, and shrieks like a twelve years old girl.

“Not-!” Hedge’s voice is lost in the wind, as Nico’s horse sprints forward.

Reyna calls his name, but he ignores it. Humiliation burns again over him, how much is too much? This whole wedding is the most stupid thing he’s ever agreed to. He did it for his kingdom, for its good, and all his so said _husband_ does is humiliating Nico, treating him as one would treat a pair of old shoes.

The men at the gates play their trumpet as the prince enters. Nico dismounts the horse, and looks around. People look down from the windows, waiting for his next move. Will he finally snap, and let his dark power wash the castle free of every living being?

Percy steps outside, and greets him with a grin. It falls from his face as he sees Nico’s expression.

“Are you alright?” Percy asks.

Nico bumps his shoulder into Percy’s as he walks past him. “Where is my husband?” he asks, with the same tone one would ask where the plague has started.

The grass dies where Nico steps, but he can’t bother. People get out of his way, bumping into each other to flee. He used to be loved when he was younger, smiling to anyone who would look at him. The memory makes his skin tickle, his powers radiate from him.

Percy’s hand closes on Nico’s wrist. “Nico, what the hell,” is all he says.

It feels like a slap across the face. Nico’s throat starts burning. Percy looks around, and shoves Nico into an empty room. It turns out to be one of the Queen’s lady’s rooms, with fluffy pillows and flowers around.

“You need to control your powers,” Percy says. “You’re terrorizing the palace right now. I haven’t seen you like this since you were fourteen.”

Nico shakes his head. “I know. It isn’t easy.”

“I know. And I know you were scared about Will, but your powers could hurt him. Wouldn’t that be much worse than whatever happened to him in the city?”

Nico shakes his head. “I wasn’t scared for Lord William.”

Percy raises an eyebrow. “Lord William? What the hell, Nico? What are you doing?”

“What do you even mean?”

“Lord William. Do I need to repeat it? After today’s discussion, I’d say the two of you aren’t all that close. Do you love him, Neeks?”

Nico’s eyes tickle. “That’s none of your business.”

“You are my friend!”

Nico laughs, as tears threaten to escape from his eyes. They’re friends, of course they are. As if Percy didn’t only stand Nico for his status as prince.

“Stay out of this, Percy.”

“No. Like it or not, you are my friend, and so is Will, back from Camp Half Blood. We went to war together, I was friends with his brothers. I was friends with your-”

The shadows gather around Nico, he feels cold embrace around his arms, as tight as a second skin. “Don’t you dare saying her name.”

Percy takes a step back, as though Nico has slapped him. “I did everything I could, I tried to-”

“Yet the crown rests on my head, not hers.”

Nico regrets the words as soon as they’ve left his mouth. Shame burns hot on him. He doesn’t need Lord William to humiliate him after all.

Percy’s cloak brushes on the floor as he leaves the room, with the same sound a serpent makes on the grass.

Lord William is in their shared quarters. Nico’s anger has boiled down, he can look at Lord William without shadows gathering around his hands. Lord William’s flower crown is on his table, but what Nico notices is that the door of his bedroom is open.

Nico hasn’t been in Lord William’s room since before the wedding, when they decided who would have which room. Lord William’s is slightly smaller, but it has more windows and light than Nico’s. It hasn’t changed at all, it looks like Lord William isn’t even living there.

Lord William sneezes. Nico’s ears burn with embarrassment, afraid he’s been caught staring. He turns to Lord William, sitting on the armchair with his hands covering his nose. He blinks, looking around like a lost baby deer.

“Lord William, are you sick?” Nico asks, shutting the door behind himself.

Lord William shakes his head. “No, thank you for asking, Your Highness.”

Nico nods. “Yeah. Uh, you’re welcome.”

Lord William nods, and the two husbands look at each other. Their conversations often end like this, both of them nodding and looking at each other, then both start looking around the room, the awkward nodding keeps on going.

Once, Lord William wouldn’t stop talking. Nico would look at him with raised eyebrows, as a smile fought its way on his lips.

“Have you heard from your family?” Nico asks.

“Right. About that.” Lord William sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Her Highness Princess Hazel has asked me if she could tag along. I think she wants to know the witch I talked to you about.”

Nico sits on the chair at the table, with his back straight and his chin raised. Being intimidating is something he’s learnt from his father. “My sister can’t be seen close to a witch. Her blooming friendship with Lady Lou Ellen is unfortunate.”

Lord William straightens as well. “You know, she’s my friend, not only Hazel’s.”

Nico purses his lips. “I don’t mean to offend you, but is it the truth. After the war, we can’t have witches mingle around the-”

“She’s my friend, she won’t try to steal your crown, if that’s what you are so afraid of. She fought against her own mother during the war.”

Nico has never seen Lord William angry, and now it happens two times in a day. This time, if Nico weren’t angry as well, he could pinpoint the reason, and even understand Lord William.

“She is a witch!” Nico says. His words come harsher and louder than he intended.

Lord William raises to his feet, his cheek stained in red. Nico stands as well, it is Lord William who speaks –screams– first.

“I’ve known her my whole life. She fought against many of her brothers and sisters during the Battle of Truia. Many of them she had to kill, which she did for _your_ kingdom. Her loyalty doesn’t lay with her heritage. You would know it if you hadn’t run away from Camp Half Blood.”

“Are you calling me a coward?” Nico doesn’t wait for an answer, pressing his finger to Lord William’s chest. “Cowards run away. I am no coward, if I left Camp was because no one actually wanted me there. I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

Their eyes lock, both of them are painting. Lord William’s cheeks are still red. After spending the day under the sun, his freckles are popping out. Nico raises his hand, to shove Lord William away of to trace the path of his cheekbones, he hasn’t decided yet.

Lord William’s eyes trail behind Nico’s shoulder, and he takes a step back. It feels like getting out of a river, after being lost in its wrath. Nico turns, to see the Queen and Lady Reyna at the door.

“I was hoping,” the Queen says, “to speak of the details of Prince William’s journey to Delphi. We can come back later if you are” she gestures between the two of them with her free hand, struggling to find the words. “If you are otherwise occupied.”

Nico takes a step back. “I will leave you three to it, then.”

Lady Reyna clears her throat. “Don’t you want to hear the details as well?”

Nico smiles. “I’m sure between you two and my husband, you’ll be able to get him the best possible accommodations.” He turns, to walk back to his bedroom, but just as he puts his hand on the door knob, Reyna clears her throat again.

When he turns, Reyna has her lady face on, and her hands on her hips. “I seem to understand that you’re missing a point, Your Highness. You will be traveling with your husband.”

Nico’s voice is flat. The room is spinning around him. “What?”

It is the Queen who speaks. “I thought it was clear. Have you ever seen your father and I traveling alone, if not for matters of war?”

Nico looks at Lord William, who looks just as surprised as Nico does. Their eyes meet, briefly. Nico blushes as he looks away.

“Of course,” Nico says. In his words there is as much poison as is in a serpent’s fangs. “My bad.”

He doesn’t say what he thinks, which is that Queen Persephone and Lord Hades didn’t have an arranged marriage, but they did it for love.

The Queen raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “I will talk about this with your father.”

In response, Nico raises his eyebrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lord William’s eyes darting between Queen and Prince. How low must he think of them, from what he’s seen they are nothing but a loveless family, with no connection but the line of succession.

“As you wish,” Nico says. He stalks to the study, and sits next to Lord William. For the rest of the afternoon, they speak of the risks of traveling and such.

“Tomorrow we’ll organize your days,” Lady Reyna says, putting the papers they’ve written in her bag. “You will both be representative of House Pluto. We expect you to be on your best behavior.”

The Queen nods. “You will leave on Monday at dawn. Prince Perseus will leave as well, you will travel together until the River Styx. He will take a boat, but you and the rest of the royal party will shadow travel.”

Nico sighs, resting his head against the leather chair. Shortly after, the Queen leaves, and Reyna finally drops her mask. They hear the door shut after the Queen, and the armors of the guards clicking as they bow to her passage. Nico can only imagine how happy the Queen is about it.

“I know it will be hard for the two of you,” Reyna says. She puts her elbows on the table, and leans forward to the two of them. Lord William avoids her eyes, his eyes fixed on Nico’s fingers as they drum on the table. “But you really need to control yourselves. Prince Perseus has told me about your discussion, just before the gates of the palace. You are lucky it happened in front of him, and not someone who might have gone to the King. We need to treat this situation with extreme caution.”

Nico shakes his head. “Of course he told you.”

“He is concerned,” she replies. “You know how he is.”

“There is nothing to be concerned about.”

Lord William makes a sound that Nico mistakes for a gasp of pain, up until Nico turns, and when their eyes meet Nico realizes Lord William is shaking with laughter.

“Do you find this funny?” Nico asks, his voice as cold as the halls of the palace.

“I just find it funny that you make it sound like something you do every day. Nothing to be concerned about, we are just divorcing. Let’s hope it isn’t use as an excuse to start another war.”

Lady Reyna clears her throat.

“I have told you once and I will tell you again, I do not need to explain myself-”

Lady Reyna’s throat must be on fire, for she clears it again.

“I’m still your-”

“Stop it you two!” Lady Reyna exclaims, standing so suddenly she hits the table. An inkstand rolls on the wood and falls, its content spills on the pavement. “This is what Prince Perseus and I are concerned about! You two can’t have a conversation without jumping at each other’s throat. It must come to an end.”

Nico fixes his eyes on his knees, anywhere to avoid the disappointment in Lady Reyna’s eyes. _It will come to an end with the divorce_ , Nico thinks. He doesn’t have the heart to say it out-loud.

Lord William isn’t looking at Reyna either. He’s staring at his hands on his lap. He has his palms turned upwards, it would look like he is silently praying, if only his fingers weren’t trembling. Once again, Lord William reminds Nico of the Autumn.

“I don’t think we should tell anyone else about the divorce,” Reyna continues. Is it just Nico or has the silence stretched for a whole century? “It wouldn’t do well for the image of the kingdom.”

“We know, Lady Reyna,” Lord William says. His voice is tired and hoarse, but he finally raises his eyes from his hands. “I promise you both, I won’t tell anyone.”

His eyes dart to Nico, just for a moment. When he turns away, he seems to be curling on himself.

Words form on the tip of Nico’s tongue, but he can’t find the force to pronounce them. So he stays silent.

“We trust you,” Reyna says. “What I was about to say, is very different. If you have someone you can talk to, you can share about the divorce. I know it is hard for you both. You can talk to me, but if you don’t want to, I trust your judgment to speak to someone trustworthy.”

Lord William nods. “Thank you, Lady Reyna. I will retire if it is not a problem.” Reyna gives him permission. As he gets out, he doesn’t look back.

The King sits on the armchair when Nico opens the door. He only walks in the King and Queen’s suite one day a year, on Winter Solstice, when they have breakfast together. Last year, they’ve done it for the last time just with family. This year, Lord William will join them, if the divorce hasn’t been finalized yet. Nico has no idea how long it’ll take.

“Father,” Nico says. “Did you want to see me?”

Nico’s heart is bumping harder than it ever has. Has his father sensed the divorced? Nico hopes not. He even thought they were being subtle.

Hades gestures for the armchair in front of the fireplace, and Nico sits. “I wanted to talk of your sister’s wish.”

“Witchcraft,” Nico says.

The King nods. “I was wondering if your husband had already started his research for a witch.”

His father says _witch_ with the same tone Nico pronounces the name _Alecto_ , and it is saying much.

“I don’t know, Father. I know he is friend with Lou Ellen, Lady Circe’s daughter.”

“Hazel’s friend. Yes, of course. She is heir to her mother, you see. If you were wondering why I kept her here.”

“I already knew as much.”

The King smiles, something Nico isn’t used seeing. “Good. Now, what would you do?”

“Hazel is my sister. My opinion won’t be impartial.”

“Neither will mine, she is my daughter.”

“If she has witchcraft, letting it go unchecked would be worse. It would be better to help her shape her powers.”

“And if the people knew?”

“They won’t.”

The King raises an eyebrow, and waits for Nico to speak. His son doesn’t let out another word.

“Well, then. You can go, now.”

Nico nods, and walks to the door. Before slipping out, he turns to his father again.

“Hazel will come to Delphi with Lord William and me.”

“If she wishes so,” the King says. Nico opens to the door. “Nico, wait. Remember, it isn’t Lord William anymore. He is a prince. Don’t let others tell you otherwise.”

Nico nods. Going back to his chambers, he can’t help but think that there is no other. Just as he’s opening the door of his bedroom, the main door is opened, and sir Sherman enters.

“Your Highness, you’ve dropped this,” he says.

“It isn’t mine,” Nico replies, looking at the shining pin in sir Sherman’s hands.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” sir Sherman explains.

Lord William brushes past Nico, thanking the knight for returning the pin, a blush on his cheeks. And Nico ignores the knot his stomach has turned into, still he can’t help but wonder when Lord William has dropped the pin.

Nico has a private supper with Prince Perseus, Lord William and Hazel. Of course, the three of them can’t help but talk of the wedding. Even Lord William smiles.

“Has Lady Annabeth already found a dress?” he asks.

Percy’s smile is so wide Nico can see his interior. “Not yet. She’s from the furthest north, so I don’t really know how our gods can meet in a ceremony.”

“I bet Annabeth does,” Hazel comments.

“Yes, of course. She has three different plans.” Percy laughs. “Gods, she’s going crazy. We need to do everything before the autumn’s rains, or it’ll be a mess with all the travels.” He sighs, sinking in his chair. “It already is a mess.”

Nico’s eyes meet Lord William’s. _Mess_. An appropriate word to describe their wedding. Lord William looks away.

“Is it normal that planning a wedding seems a mortal danger?” Percy whines.

_You should see how it is when you try to end it._

It is Lord William who replies. “We didn’t have major roles in the planning, and our wedding was planned in four years.”

Percy shakes his head, raising his wine glass as if to propose a toast. “I have no idea how you’ve managed to wait four years to get married. After the first two days of engagement, all I’ve wanted to do is marrying her in the city hall, and be done with it.”

Nico almost scoffs. “It was an arranged marriage, Percy.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Nico can see how Lord William has paled. Percy furrows his eyebrows, as he always does when he’s in front of something he doesn’t understand. Of course someone as honorable and loyal as Percy wouldn’t understand how two people can marry when there’s no romantic love between the two of them.

“But you two wanted to marry each other,” Percy says, looking at Lord William. “Didn’t you?”

Lord William struggles to find words, his mouth opens and closes like that of a fish gasping for air.

Nico clears his throat. He sees the challenge in Lord William’s eyes. _Tell them the truth, Your Highness. Tell them both how little I wanted to marry you._

“Of course we wanted to marry each other,” he says. Every word leaves salt on his tongue. Will the gods punish them for the vows will break? “We couldn’t wait anymore.”

Percy looks relieved. “God, the two of you make a whole lot of dramatic pauses.”

“You know us,” Lord William says, with a hint of a smile on his lips.

_Yes_ , Nico thinks. _Everyone seems to know you better than I do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't think of the plot think of the AESTHETIC


	4. nothing as sweet as witchcraft

The sun shines bright in the sky as Prince Nico bows in front of his father. King Hades extends his left hand, and Nico brings it to his lips. It is as cold as that of a body.

“Safe travel, my child,” the King says, and Nico stands.

“May the lords of the shadows guard over me,” Nico says.

The King nods, as though these words mean anything more than a goodbye formula. The first time he’s told them to his father, Nico was twelve, and ready to run away to the war.

“Be careful,” the Queen whispers, when Nico bows in front of her.

“Always.”

They repeat the same formula, only after can Nico go to the horses. He isn’t surprised to see sir Sherman help Lord William mount his horse, he still raises his eyebrow at the knight, until he finally gets the hint and goes to his own horse.

There will be ten guards with them, and of course sir Sherman had to be one of them. Nico couldn’t have asked for a better scenario.

The gates open, the trumpets echo in Nico’s ears for what feels like eternity. As they travel through the city, he stays between Lord William and a guard. Another –guess who– is on Lord William’s side.

Lord William listens to everything sir Sherman has to say. For some reasons, sir Sherman has been in the city for less than a year, yet he seems to know everything about the palaces and the buildings.

“Look Your Highness,” he tells Lord William, “that structure has been erected after the war. Those who look like dots from here are actually the names of the dead.”

“Look, Your Highness,” he says less than thirty seconds later, “that palace is the newest of the city. Surely you will remember it, it has been erected after your marriage.”

_It was my marriage as well,_ Nico thinks. He bites his tongue not to say it out loud.

“Look, Your Highness,” he continues as though no Crown Prince is sending him death glares, “you can already see the River Styx from here.”

_Please, raise your voice a bit, or the people who want me dead won’t here where we’re directed._

Lord William nods, following sir Sherman’s pointing finger.

_Don’t you know pointing is fucking rude?_ Luckily Nico has no time to say it, as the guards in front of them come to a stop. They are traveling in a long queue, the Nethunians are in the front, sheltering Prince Perseus and Princess Hazel.

Nico has to straighten his back to see what is blocking them. He groans out loud.

“What is it, Your Highness?” Lord William asks.

“Children,” Nico replies.

Lord William raises his eyebrows. “And is it bad?”

“Yes. Children with Prince Perseus are something I do not wish to see.”

Lord William straightens his back, and Nico can see the exact moment the realization hits him. “Is the prince playing with them?”

Nico nods, a grimace forms on his lips. “Yes.”

“We will never leave this city, will we?”

“Let’s just hope your parents don’t think we’re lost in the shadows.”

They have to wait almost an hour before they manage to get Percy on his horse again, and it might be for Nico’s threats.

They’ve just entered the woods when sir Sherman starts talking again. Hazel must feel Nico’s discomfort from all the way to the start of the queue, for she turns to send him an amused look. Only then does Nico notice the shadows that lean forward him. He sends them away.

An unexpected ray of sun passes through the roof of leaves and branches, hitting Lord William’s ring hand. Nico’s attention is so stolen away from his husband.

Once again, he looks good in his riding outfit. This time it is a white shirt and black pants. Between the two of them, it’s usually Nico who wears black. Lord William doesn’t go further than dark blue, but on people like him every color looks good. A golden circle sits on his head, twin to the one Nico wears. The only difference is the oval gem on the forehead. While Nico’s is a diamond, Lord William’s is black.

_I shall be the night sky on which your stars shine._

Nico’s heart is hit by a pang of pain as he remembers Lord William standing in front of him. He’d looked confident as he said those words. For some minutes, he is lost between memory and reality.

“Look, Your Highness, you can see-” sir Sherman is saying.

 _A guard who can do his job without blabbering incessantly_ , Nico thinks, his gaze on the Nethunians in the front.

The first indication that he’s spoken out loud is Lord William’s gasp. Nico blinks, coming back in full speed to reality. Lord William has stopped his horse, and looks at him with an outraged expression.

Heat rises to Nico’s cheeks. For a second, he wonders whether Lord William will slap him. It wouldn’t surprise him, given the tight hold his hands have on the reins.

“Are you serious?” Lord William hisses, so low no one can hear them, or so Nico hope.

“So now you can’t ignore me anymore?” Nico asks with the same tone.

Lord William shakes his head. “Gods help me,” he mutters, before pulling the reins.

And so the procession to the River Styx continues. Sir Sherman doesn’t say another word, and of that Nico is more than glad.

Percy drops to his knees in front of Nico.

“Mighty prince of Aita,” he says, “bless my journey and we shall depart as friends! “

Nico crosses his arms on his chest. “If you don’t stand in three seconds, I swear I will-”

Percy jumps to his feet, a fake frightened expression on his face. “We shall depart as enemies, then.”

Nico shoves Percy towards the deck, only making him laugh. “Go back to your fishes and crabs.”

“Well, better than seaweeds and sand, as you last said,” Percy says. He puts his hands on his hips, and takes a deep breath. “Take care, Nico.”

Nico nods. “You, too.”

Before joining his people on the boat, Percy puts a hand on Nico’s shoulder, and squeezes it. Nico holds his breath until the other prince’s boat is out of sight.

The guards, his sister and Lord William are all waiting for him.

“Take each other’s hand,” Nico orders. He is between his sister and sir Sherman, whom he brushes past to grab Lord William hand. Lord William startles. “It’s for security reasons. You have the magic of the sun, shadow travels are harder for people like you.”

Nico closes his eyes, and goes past the feeling of Lord William’s warmth slipping through the gloves, and that they haven’t shared each other’s warmth since the night of the wedding.

“At my three, we take a step forward, and travel through the river,” Nico says. Lord William releases a deep breath. Without thinking too much about it, Nico squeezes his hand. “Three.”

They walk in the river. The freezing waters don’t touch them.

Delphi is the biggest city of Lord Apollo’s territory. It is also called city of gold, and Nico can see exactly why. From his studies, he knows that on the eastern side of the city are many caves, from which minerals are extracted.

“Is that the University you planned to attend?” sir Sherman asks Lord William, as soon as they land.

Nico rubs his eyes. The sun has blinded him, and they’ve arrived just before the palace. Its golden walls are reflecting the sun in a rather annoying manner. He is lucky he’s used to shadow travel. People with less experience, however…

Nico turns to his husband. He’s sitting on the ground, rubbing his eyes like a sleepy child. The silver crown on his head is slightly crooked.

Nico kneels next to Lord William, dropping his hands on the ground when he realizes he doesn’t know where to touch.

“How has it been?” Nico asks.

Lord William opens his eyes. They’re bloodshot, as a madman’s. “I think I need to sleep.”

Nico stands, and helps Lord William do the same. “We need to get to the-”

Before Nico can finish, Lord William’s eyes roll upwards, and he falls to the side. Luckily, sir Sherman is there to keep him up. While Nico raises an eyebrow, sir Sherman openly laughs.

When he realizes Nico is sending him death glares again, he blushes. “He always does that before drifting off to sleep.”

Nico’s eyebrows go even higher. One of this day they will fall from his face. “You’ve seen my husband falling asleep.” He meant it to be a question, yet it sounds like a threat.

Sir Sherman seems to understand his mistake, his whole face pales.

“And now you’re telling me,” Nico continues, taking a step forward.

Suddenly, Nico realizes how close he’s come to sir Sherman and the still unconscious Lord William. He takes a step back, and straightens his back. Hazel puts a hand on his arm.

“Nico, we should-” she is saying. He speaks over her.

“We should go see Lord Apollo, and let the court physician treat Lord William.” He clasps his hands, and looks at the guards. “Our luggage won’t bring itself to the palace.”

Pleasantries are exchanged with Lord Apollo. Nico can recognize with only a small amount of shame, that he is not his most pleasant self during the meeting. Lord Apollo finds it amusing.

When they enter the palace, Nico spares a look at Lord William, asleep in sir Sherman’s arms.

“Your son needs medical attention,” Nico says. His voice is a cold contrast to the hot weather. As Lord William had said, Nico has seen several children in the fountain in front of the palace. They didn’t mind that a prince was walking towards them. “He’s fainted after we shadow traveled.”

Apollo looks at his son. He furrows his eyebrows, before shrugging. “Thought he was tired. Well, then.” He gestures for one of his wards to come forward, a short girl wearing a green dress, stained with what Nico hopes isn’t mud. Then he thinks it might be horse shit, and hopes it _is_ mud. After a brief conversation with the girl, who insults Apollo once or twice, he turns back to sir Sherman with a pleasant smile. “Meg will lead you to the infirmary.”

The idea of leaving sir Sherman alone with Lord William makes Nico’s skin tickle. But he is Crown Prince, so he conceives his emotions, and watches his husband and his mistress leave him behind.

Nico opens the door to the suite Lord Apollo has arranged for him. 

When he hears the door opening, Lord William looks up. He’s abandoned the crown, and sweat has partly melted away his gel. An unruly curl falls on his cheekbone, brushing it as delicately as a feather.

“Lord William,” Nico says, straightening his back. “I hope you’re feeling better.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” He closes the book on his lap, setting it on the armrest of the armchair, and rubs his eyes. How he is still tired after sleeping all day, is far beyond Nico’s comprehension. “I hope my father hasn’t pestered you with ideas of grandchildren and such.”

Nico’s jaws falls open, and Lord William’s eyes widen.

“I’m sorry!” he exclaims, passing a hand through his hair. “I’m so, very sorry! I didn’t mean to… to…” He makes a vague gesture with his hand, then slaps it on the book. He says something in Delphi’s dialect, Nico doesn’t recognize the words.

“It’s nothing, Lord William,” Nico says, shaking his head. He rests his hip against the table, putting his forearm on the back of the chair. “It doesn’t bother me.” He smiles, hoping Lord William will understand.

Lord William’s expression seems to fade, if just for a moment. “Of course, Your Highness. I wasn’t expecting it to.”

Nico decides that it’s better if he doesn’t respond. “We have a balcony,” he comments.

Lord William looks surprised, but he doesn’t say anything. His eyes follow Nico’s back, as he walks out on the balcony. The air is still warm outside, the sky light. There are many flowers on the balcony, growing on the columns. Queen Persephone would be envious.

“Death Breath!”

Nico startles. He looks down at the ground, where his not-long-enough lost friend Leo Valdez is jumping and waving his arms. Only a few people stare at him. Knowing him, Leo has managed to get everyone used to him already.

“Don’t call me that!” Nico replies, putting his hands on the railing.

Leo has the audacity of laughing. “Why don’t you let me come up there?”

Nico snorts. “Get past the guards, Valdez.”

Leo laughs again. “Where’s Will? I came as soon as I heard you two would be here!”

Nico points to the bedroom with his thumb. “Reading.”

“Well, call him then! He’ll want to speak to me. Must miss me a lot, don’t blame him!”

Nico shakes his head. “In your dreams. Listen, just come here.”

Leo grins like a maniac, and bows like a dancer. “As you with, Your Highness!”

Nico shakes his head, as Leo zig zags through people to reach the entrance of the palace. Nico goes back inside, to find Lord William asleep on the armchair. He’s actually falling off of it.

Nico clears his throat, but Lord William doesn’t even stir. Nico does it again louder. Still no answer. He takes a deep breath, and leans forward, staying behind the armchair. Nico closes his eyes, before putting his hand on Lord William’s shoulder, shaking it slightly.

The body of a prince isn’t like that of anyone else. People can’t touch him like they would touch another boy, even his manservant –who dresses him every day– keeps his hands to himself.

Jules Albert’s skin is cold, sometimes it feels like having shadows brush against his skin. Lord William is just as warm as he was when he was younger.

When they first met, he would never stop touching Nico. For no apparent reason, at least to Nico. Nico didn’t understand. Lord William bumped his shoulder against Nico’s as they walked side to side, lightly enough to make it seem an accident. Sometimes, their knuckles brushed against each other’s, if by accident Nico didn’t have the courage to ask.

Now that he touches Lord William’s shoulder, a spark passes through his skin. Why has Lord William stopped touching Nico?

Lord William stirs, his head turns to Nico. His warm breath brushes on Nico’s cheek. Then he realizes how close they are, and he jumps back, almost falling from the armchair.

Nico takes a step back. Only he could be idiotic enough to marry a man who runs from the sole sight of him. He straightens his back. On his cheek, the ghost of Lord William’s breath is still ticking him, a bitter memory of better times.

“Leo is coming right now,” Nico says. He takes another step back, then another. It feels like there’s something shoving him away, an invisible hand on his chest. Is it disappointment? Of one thing Nico is sure, it tastes like failure. “He saw me on the balcony.”

Lord William nods, but he still looks sleepy. When he drops his head on the armchair, Nico is sure he will fall asleep before Leo reaches them.

Leo is talking about some kind of engineering thing Nico doesn’t understand in the slightest, when Lord William drifts off again. Leo laughs when he notices, startling Nico, who wasn’t paying attention.

Nico has never seen Lord William sleep. Earlier, he hasn’t paid much attention to it. Now he takes his time.

Lord William’s lips are slightly parted, showing his upper teeth. His arms are crossed loosely, one hand is close to his knee. His index moves slightly, as though he’s stroking the air. Nico wonders what it would feel like, if he took Lord William’s hand in his own.

Nico swallows the nothingness in his mouth. “We should go get some rest. We’ve traveled all day.”

“And with Percy nonetheless.” Leo nods, and clasps his hands on his legs. He stands, and stretches. “I’ll just go, then. See you tomorrow! Hope you let your husband sleep tonight, I’d like to talk to him.”

Nico blushes furiously, but Leo leaves before he can calm himself down enough to tell Leo to get lost.

Before any more stupid idea can get into Nico’s head, he touches Lord William’s shoulder again. Lord William mumbles in his sleep, before opening his eyes.

“Lord William, go to the bedroom. You need to sleep in a real bed.”

Lord William smiles, he looks extraordinary happy. “I was going there. I don’t know why I didn’t.”

Nico almost chuckles. “Leo came. You didn’t have the time.”

Lord William nods. “Right. I don’t think I saw him.”

Nico laughs, and Lord William’s eyes shine brighter in the night. “I swear you did. But you really need to get some sleep.”

“Which way?” Lord William asks, looking around the suit. He yawns, and Nico wonders if Lord William has been drinking while he wasn’t looking.

Nico directs him to the door on the right side of the suite.

“Good night, Your Highness,” Lord William mumbles, leaning heavily against the door.

“Yeah. Sure, you too.”

Lord William smiles.

Not long after, Nico searches for his own room. The only other door in the suit is that of the bathroom, so Nico has to go in Lord William’s bedroom. He doesn’t know how people here in the south build houses, how royal suits are shaped. It wouldn’t be too strange for the two bedrooms to be connected.

Still, the door in Lord William’s bedroom is that of the wardrobe. So Nico comes to the conclusion that husbands in the south share the bed.

Nico turns to look at Lord William, who sleeps on the right side of the mattress, curled on himself. He’s never seen his husband sleep in the bed, while sir Sherman seems to have seen him more than once. Nico can’t help but wonder whether it happened before or after the wedding. Maybe both.

He leaves the room. The chaise lounge on the balcony will have to do for the night.

It feels like he’s slept for less than five minutes when someone shakes Nico’s shoulder. Nico startles. Afraid, he falls behind, and hits the ground.

“Gods, I’m so sorry!” Lord William explains.

Nico clearly hears Hazel laughing. He stumbles on his feet, rubbing his head. He can only imagine what he looks like with his bed head, his hair go in every direction.

“Good morning,” Hazel says. “You look… really regal.”

Unlike Nico, Lord William is already dressed, with a formal outfit, and his hair shows no sign of imperfection.

“Why have you slept here?” Hazel asks.

Nico shrugs. “It was pretty. With the stars. And everything. Yeah, lovely.” He nods. Should he say once more how lovely it was, or has he been convincing enough?

Lord William clears his throat. “We were about to leave for breakfast, Your Highness.”

Hazel scoffs. “After all this time, you can drop the formalities around me.” She shoves Lord William with her shoulder. “We’re family.”

Lord William gives her a reluctant smile. “I will remember it.”

“Have you met Lord William’s witch friend, already?” Nico asks.

Lord William looks at him with a raised eyebrow, but Nico doesn’t so much as roll his eyes. _How many times has sir Sherman seen you sleeping, Lord William?_ Not that Nico believes they’ve done nothing but sleep. He is no fool.

“She has a name, Nico,” Hazel replies. She turns on her hills, walking in the suit. Nico and Lord William follow her. She sits on the sofa, as still as the perfect princess should be. “I will meet Calypso today. Will has promised me.”

Nico raises his eyebrows, before he realizes Will would be Lord William. It’s too early in the morning to remember such small details.

Lord William stays behind after Hazel leaves them, promising her they’ll come soon for breakfast. After the door shuts behind her, he turns to Nico with an expression Nico has not often seen,

“You could have awakened me last night,” Lord William says. “I wouldn’t have let you sleep on the balcony.”

Nico shakes his head. “It was no problem, Lord William.”

“Yes, but-”

“I wouldn’t have let you sleep on there. You are my host.”

“What I was trying to-”

“It was no problem!” Nico snaps. Lord William takes a sleep back.

“I’m so sorry, but what I was trying to say is that if you’re my husband then you can clearly sleep in the same bed as me!” Lord William half-shouts.

Nico snarls before he can control it. “Wouldn’t it have been unfortunate if someone else came for your bed?”

Once again, he regrets the words as soon as they leave his mouth.

The tip of Lord William’s ears turns red. “What would that mean?”

Nico shakes his head. “Nothing.”

Lord William shakes his head, and he blushes even more. Before he can respond, the door opens, and Jules-Albert enters. He bows before Nico. As always, he doesn’t bother talking.

Lord Apollo is sitting next to a beautiful man when Lord William and Nico reach the balcony. Nico has never seen him before, but Lord William seems to know him, for the man stands and they hug.

Nico sits next to Hazel. The hug between Lord William and the man finally breaks. Nico forgets his morning anger when he sees the bright smile on Lord William’s face.

“Prince Nico, let me introduce you to my lover, Hyacinthus,” Lord Apollo says. His smile is as bright as Lord William’s.

Nico stutters, looking at Lord Apollo’s wife. “Lover,” Nico repeats, half muttering. He looks down at his plate, until a sharp pain in the side awakes him again.

He looks up, to find Lord William’s smile gone, as Lord Apollo tries to contain laughter. Nico turns to Hyacinthus. “It’s nice to meet you,” Nico tries. He doesn’t sound too convinced to his own ears.

Lady Kayla, Lord William’s younger sister, laughs. Her bright, red hair shine like fire under the sun. “Don’t mind my father, Your Highness. He is said to be eccentric.”

Nico blinks. “Eccentric?”

“You’re breaking Will’s husband,” Lord Austin hisses, elbowing her in the side.

Lord William flushes a bright shade of red, and sinks in his chair. “Gods,” he mutters.

“Why can the two of you never be normal?” Lord Jonathan whines.

Hazel laughs, Nico steals another glance at Lord William. He keeps his head low, scratching his neck, pursing his lips hard enough to turn them white. He looks like he’s going to be sick, until Lord Austin says something –a joke about Lord Apollo’s cows, which Nico doesn’t understand– and Lord William finally laughs.

Nico drops his fork, and it slips on the table. He hasn’t heard Lord William laughing in months. When was last time?

Hazel elbows him again in the ribs, Nico bites his tongue to stop a yelp.

“Were you listening?” She asks.

“To what?”

She shakes her head. “Of course. I was saying that I’ll meet Calypso today.”

Nico blinks. “Who?”

“She’s the friend of Will who will teach me witchcraft,” Hazel says.

Blood drains from Nico’s face. “Please, say it louder. The council in Caere hasn’t heard you.”

Hazel rolls her eyes. “Who would tell them?”

“I don’t know, maybe those who want us dead?” Nico shakes his head. He realizes he’s talked way too loudly when people stop talking.

“They want you dead,” Lord Austin repeats.

Nico blushes, and stutters for words.

“Not _they_ as in everyone,” Hazel specifies.

“Yes. A third of the court as best.” Nico nods.

“Do they want Will dead, too?” Lady Kayla asks.

Nico looks at Lord William, whose smile has been washed away. “Nothing will happen to you brother.”

Lord William’s siblings don’t look too convinced.

Lord Apollo clears his throat. “Courts are a difficult matter. People behave differently than they do here. Especially after the war.” He smiles to his children. “But Prince Nico hasn’t lied. There are tons of guards, nothing will ever happen to Will.”

Delphi’s gardens are beautiful. They are envied in every kingdom, for their colors and brightness.

Sweat drips down Nico’s neck. He isn’t used to such a hot weather, and he can’t bring himself to wear Delphi’s clothes. They leave him too uncovered.

Lord William used to wear them. Nico remembers blushing as bright as a fire pillar, after seeing Lord William’s uncovered skin. He hadn’t been able to look at Lord William in the eyes for days.

Nico stops next to a bush of what look like large daisies.

“Bellis Perennis, Your Highness” Lord William says. Nico startles. When he turns, he is surprised to be looking at Lord William in the eyes without the need of craning his neck. Lord William’s eyes return to the flowers. He brushes his finger tips on the white petals. “It can be used as a laxative in infusions. In Camp Half Blood, we used it to treat physical wounds. We used it on you, once.”

Nico blinks. “It was years ago. Do you still remember it, Lord William?”

Heat spreads on Lord William’s neck and cheeks. “It would have been hard to forget the sight of my fiancé covered in his own blood. I was surprised you still had any blood left in you at all, Your Highness.”

Lord William looks like he can’t believe what he just said. Nico wouldn’t believe it either, if he weren’t here.

Someone clears their throat. Nico startles, and turns. Of course it is sir Sherman behind them. A shout forms in Nico’s throat, he manages by chance to keep it in.

“Yes?” Nico asks.

“Lord Apollo is waiting for you, Your Highness,” he says.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Lord William tells Nico. Nico nods, but sir Sherman surprises them both.

“I meant Prince Nico, Will.”

_Will._

Anger burns hot in Nico’s veins, then realization hits him. Maybe Lord William doesn’t know that it isn’t usual for Aitaes to take a lover. Gods.

“I will go then,” Nico says. He can’t help but glance back at Lord William and sir Sherman when he arrives at garden’s gates. They are leaning close to each other, and Lord William has a half smile on his face.

Something old and rotten tugs Nico’s stomach.

Nico clears his throat. “Have you called for me, Lord Apollo?”

Lord Apollo turns to look at him. He sits on a chair lounge on the balcony, the sunlight kisses his golden skin. The neckline of his shirt is lower than any Nico has ever seen, it brushes his belly. Nico flushes a bright shade of red.

“Yes, please, take a sit.” He gestures to another chair lounge, and Nico sits uncomfortably. “You must be wondering why I’ve asked you to come, Your Highness.”

“I suppose it is about your son’s wellbeing.”

Lord Apollo nods. Before he can talk, the glass doors open again, Lady Naomi walks out, followed by servants with fresh fruits and beverages.

Last time they’ve seen each other, was at the wedding. In Aita, it isn’t usual to take a second consort. Lord Apollo doesn’t believe in monogamy. Nico isn’t sure Lord William has any sibling with the same mother as him.

“Lady Naomi,” Nico says, bowing his head. “It’s an honor to meet you again.”

She sits next to her husband, and he straightens to leave her some more space. Still, they are glued next to each other. Lord Apollo passes an arm around Lady Naomi’s waist.

“You look troubled, Your Highness,” she says, tilting her head to the side. “I hope Apollo hasn’t been scaring you.”

Nico stutters. The only thing that scares him about Lord Apollo, is his ability to pull off such scandalous outfits.

“We were just talking about Will,” Lord Apollo says. He takes a grape, and feeds it to Lady Naomi. Nico’s eyes widen in shock, but neither of them seem to notice. Lord Apollo puts his free hand on Lady Naomi’s thigh, and Nico wishes he could shadow travel away. “We are worried about our son’s safety, Your Highness.”

“What I said about people who want us dead,” Nico says.

Lord Apollo nods. “I was wondering how much of it was true.”

“It is the truth, that Lord William’s at risk. After the war, there’s been some discontent. Especially with, well, me. Many people would have wished for my older sister to take the throne.” Talking of Bianca feels like having his heart squeezed in a fist. “But the people love Lord William. I don’t think he realizes, and I think –I think it’s just him. Generous, kind, and a healer to the bone.” Heat spreads on Nico’s cheeks and neck, and he drops his hands on his lap. He has the bad habit of speaking with his hands. He clears his throat. “Even if anything were to happen to me, Lord William wouldn’t be hurt.”

Lady Naomi smiles. “It means a lot to us, that you think so highly of our son. Thank you.”

Nico nods, with a tight lipped smile. He feels like someone’s stolen his heart from his chest, to lay it in the open.

Lord Apollo intertwines his fingers through Lady Naomi’s. “May I ask you how you think he is? If he’s alright, and such. He’s never been so long away from home, with no family close by.”

What should Nico do? Lie through his teeth, or tell them the harsh truth? He meets Lord Apollo’s eyes. Don’t he and Lady Naomi have enough things to worry about?

“He’s adapting, my lord,” Nico says. “Caere is very different from here.” In his mind, he hears forks scratching against porcelain, the echo of footsteps in cold, dark alleys.

Lord Apollo’s last phrase hunts Nico for the rest of the day. _I’m sure he’ll be fine with you._

Lord William’s legs stretch from the chair lounge, on which Nico’s spent the night, to the small table. There is no trace of Hazel, for which Nico is glad.

Lord William hasn’t heard him arriving. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sitting with so little care, and with only one layer of clothing. Nico stumbles on his feet, and hits a vase. It goes crushing to the ground, spilling dry mud everywhere.

Nico blushes a bright red, and slowly raises his eyes to meet Lord William’s widened ones. Lord William’s book is abandoned on the floor.

Nico swallows, his eyes fall to the uncovered skin of Lord William’s shoulders. They are glistered in sweat, and Nico can’t help but remember his few days at Camp Half Blood, when Lord William spent his time between tending the injured and practicing archery with his brothers.

“Ops?” Nico tries.

Lord William raises his eyes from the ground. “I think it was my grandmother’s.”

Nico blushes harder. “I’m sorry.” He shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

Lord William purses his lips. “I hope it wasn’t hexed, Your Highness.”

“Is there a way to know, Lord William?”

“I’d love to respond, but I wouldn’t want the council to hear me speak of witchcraft, Your Highness.”

Is that a smug look on Lord William’s face? Nico can’t tell for sure, but it makes his blood boil. His mind starts traveling, and as it often happens, he finds himself remembering exactly why he’s angry with Lord William.

“Di grazia,” Nico grumbles. “We are far enough from the council for you to speak freely, Lord William.” Nico has inherited a special talent from his father: making one’s name sound like a threat.

“Nothing. Just –nothing.” Lord William stands, and walks to the door. Before he can escape, Nico puts himself in the doorframe, with his hands on either side of it.

“I’m sorry, I had forgotten you only ever speak if there’s an audience.” He doesn’t know why he’s so angry. The reason lays far too deep in himself, he has no intention of getting it out.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Nico gestures to his chest. “You insulted me in front of Prince Perseus.”

“When?”

“When? When you told him you hate being married to me! That’s when!” Nico bounces his foot against the

“I never said such a thing.”

“You don’t need to say it outright, it’s just about what you mean.”

“And now you know what I mean.” Lord William takes a step back, and passes a hand through his hair. His rebel curls weren’t waiting for anything else, they pop unruly from the cast of his gel. “Now he knows what I mean.”

Nico takes a half step back. Lord William’s most annoying habit has done a suddenly reappearance, talking of someone as though they weren’t present. He has never done it with Nico before, not even when they were closer.

“You aren’t as good as you think at keeping your secrets,” Nico says. _Secrets as your lover._

Lord William turns to glare at him, stopping his pacing. He puts his hands on the trail behind him, pursing his lips to keep his mouth completely shut. The sun hits his head, reflecting on the silver circle on his head. He wouldn’t need it if he didn’t put so much gel on his head. His natural hair is a golden crown already.

“I’m not trying to keep any secret,” he finally says.

Nico crosses his arms tighter around himself. “So you don’t even think that sir Sherman is a secret.”

“What-?”

Nico goes back in the room, waving his arms around as he speaks. “Maybe it’s something you do here in the south, you take as many lovers as you want, and you even wave them around, but we don’t do it in the north. If you-”

“Lovers?” Lord William repeats. “What do you think I am?”

“A southern!” Nico responds. He twirls around, as quick as a dancer. “With your harems of lovers, and witchcraft, and magic vases, and-and…”

Nico stutters, as Lord William’s face grows redder. Why can he never control his words?

“So,” Lord William finally says. With three steps he and Nico are face to face. He puts a finger on Nico’s chest, and with every accusation he takes a step forward, pushing Nico back. “You have insulted me. You have insulted my home. You have insulted my family, the memory of my brothers, and my friends.”

Nico’s knees hit the armchair, and he falls back. Lord William puts his left hand on the armrest. The other he keeps on Nico’s chest. Their foreheads are centimeters apart. Nico could count the grey sparkles in Lord William’s eyes. When they first met, he thought Lord William’s eyes were like the sky, of the same calm blue. Now he sees them as a storm.

Heat radiates from Lord William’s body. It would be enough to keep Nico warm in the cold Aitaens night.

Lord William’s breath comes out in short gasps. It tastes of the lemon cake they’ve had after lunch.

“You are an ass, Your Highness,” he finally says.

“I’m a prince,” Nico responds. He can’t tear his eyes from Lord William’s lips. “You can’t talk to me like that.”

It seems like the right thing to do. Lord William swallows hard, and tears himself away. There’s a longing in Nico’s chest. Sweat drips down his body, the heat has been unbearable since they’ve arrived, yet he misses that of Lord William’s body.

“Of course,” Lord William says. “I’m sorry I forgot my place.” He leaves the room, and Nico doesn’t see him for the rest of the day.

After breakfast, Hazel drags Nico to the gardens. They walk through the flowers, on a path so colorful and perfumed, Nico thinks he will be sick. He has slept outside again, sharing a bed with Lord William would end up with one choking the other with a pillow.

There’s a crossroad, with white roses on one side and pink ones on the other. In the middle is a big fountain, on which a girl with honey hair colored hair sits. Next to her is Lord William.

He is dressed in light blue, which results even brighter next to the girl, as she is dressed in plain white. Nico’s breath is caught in his throat. From the crossroad, Lady Kayla and Lord Austin come. They must have just shared a joke, for they’re both laughing. To be fair, a smile used to be Lord William’s default expression once.

“Nico,” Hazel says, once they reach the fountain. “This is Lady Calypso.”

“It an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” she says. She puts a hand on her heart, bowing slightly.

“Don’t worry about formalities,” Lord William says. “Those are only for close family.” He smiles, with his lips tight, and Nico wants to wipe that expression off his face.

Nico exhales through gritted teeth.

Calypso clears her throat. “I am a witch, Your Highness. I was hoping to teach some of my arts to your sister.”

Nico nods. If he shows his real thoughts, he will just let Lord William win. So he smiles, sitting on the stairs of the fountain. “It would be my honor to assist these moments.”

Lord William looks just as stunned as Hazel. Lady Kayla and Lord Jonathan take a place on the stairs as well, and the spend few hours they spend under the shade of the statue in the fountain. A representation of Lord Apollo’s most heroic gesture: the killing of the beast Python, which hunted the caves of Delphi.

“You aren’t paying attention,” Hazel says, elbowing Nico in the ribs.

Nico startles, and tears his eyes from the statue. “Of course I am.”

“Oh, really. So what is this?” she asks, pointing to a particular ring on the fountain. Oh, goodness. He hasn’t been paying attention since they’ve started talking of an enchanted necklace.

“A ring, Hazel,” he says. “Why, do you not have eyes?”

Hazel elbows him again, and Nico laughs. “Come on. It’s important to me.”

Nico’s stops laughing. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He raises his hands. “I won’t drift off again.”

Hazel shakes her head, before turning back to Calypso. “Ignore him.”

Calypso nods. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

So Nico learns of enchanted jewelry, up until Calypso talks to him again.

“You see,” she says, gesturing to Nico’s hand. “Spells are often put in wedding rings, too.”

Nico looks down at his hand, where his golden and black wedding ring shines.

Lord William speaks before Nico can. “For happy weddings, right?” He gives Nico another tight lipped smile.

“Yes, they are casted-”

Lord William interrupts her. “I suppose they don’t always work.”

“As every spell-”

“Heard, Your Highness? I suppose one can’t always win,” Lord William says, putting his hands on his knee.

Nico gives him a matching smile. “So your father’s dramatics don’t skip a generation, after all.”

It’s something Lord William has told him, in the early days of their engagement. Nico sees realization hit Lord William, his smile turns softer.

“Well, then,” Calypso says, turning their attention away. “And this is-” She turns, and a small velvet box slips from her bag. The content spills on the stairs.

It all happens in a minute. A small, golden rocket falls and bounces against Lord William’s left foot. As soon as it does, Lord William starts glowing white.

Calypso covers her mouth with her hands, and curses heavily. Nico’s heart isn’t beating.

“What in Hell-?” Nico starts.

“Don’t touch him, or you’ll go with him,” Lady Calypso orders. Everyone raises and takes a step back from Lord William, as he himself does.

“Go where?” Nico asks.

“The Delphi caves, probably. Maybe. He will disappear in less than a minute, anyone he touches-”

Lord William burns brighter. His eyes are widened, and he looks at his hands like he can’t quite believe what is happening.

Nico doesn’t need to think. He takes Lord William’s hand between his own. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that fifteen kudos isn't a lot, but so many people wouldn't even fit in my living room, so like??? that's kind of a lot to me???


	5. as bright as the stars, as warm as the sun

Cold.

The coldness it the first thing Nico registers in his mind. He blinks. Where is he?

Something tugs Nico’s hand. He looks down, but it is too dark for him to see anything. He can’t even see his hand.

“Your Highness?”

Lord William’s voice is little more than a whisper. Turns out, he is the warm thing tugging Nico’s hand. Nico gives it a squeeze.

“Lord William, are you hurt?”

“I was asking that first.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard you.”

“You have fainted, Your Highness. May I heal you?”

Nico nods, although Lord William can’t see him in the total darkness. “Of course.” He hears the smile in his voice, but he can’t help it.

The first time Nico has met Lord William, they weren’t betrothed yet. During the war against Kronos and the rebels, King Hades didn’t want to participate to the conflict. Nico’s sister wanted, and she died for it. She and Nico went to Camp Half Blood, and the first kid Nico was introduced to was a certain _Will_. It’s hard to see the kids they were in the men they are now.

Lord William’s skin lights up when he heals Nico. It always does, Lord William never gives it a second thought. It takes Nico’s breath away. Lord William’s warm, golden light brightens the cave. Nico is a warrior, he should be checking the cave, looking for a way out. He can’t tear his eyes away.

Slowly as it came, the light goes away, and Lord William and Nico are left in the dark again. Lord William’s voice trembles when he speaks.

“You can’t shadow travel, Your Highness. Nor use your powers, for the next few days. You are drained.”

“But we need to get back to the palace.”

“Your guards will already be on their way, Your Highness.”

_Can’t wait for sir Sherman to be here._ “If our only hope lays with them, we are doomed, Lord William.”

Lord William snorts. “Thank you for brightening the moon.” But his voice doesn’t tremble anymore, and pride swells in Nico’s chest.

“We should try to find a way out,” Nico says. He struggles to his feet, swaying on the rocky floor. “We can’t stay here forever.”

“I can’t see a thing,” Lord William says.

“Neither can I. Keep holding my hand.”

Lord William mutters something Nico can’t understand, but he stands and follow Nico. He stays close enough for his heat to reach Nico, as though he were the sun itself.

Nico uses his sword as a stick. He puts it before his feet, hoping not to stumble on it and obliterate himself from existence. Lord William’s breaths come in gasps and sighs.

“Is everything alright, Lord William?” Nico asks.

Lord William stumbles, and he puts his free hand on Nico’s arm to stay upright. Nico is burning so bright he could light the entire cave by himself.

“Ye-yes.” Lord William lifts his hand. He stays in silence for little more than a second. “How do you know we are going in the right direction, Your Highness?”

“Do you not trust me, Lord William?” Nico asks, without hiding his amusement. “The shadows will guide us.”

Lord William stops dead on his feet, Nico almost falls to the ground. “I told you not to use your powers.”

“I’m trying to get us out! Would you rather sit, and wait for valiant sir Sherman to pick us up?”

Lord William lets go of Nico’s hand. “What even is your problem with him?”

“You’ll fall on my sword if you walk around on your own,” Nico says. He raises his hand, although Lord William can’t see him. “Come on.”

Lord William is foolish enough to risk a step back. “Tell me why you hate him.”

Nico snarls, dropping his hand on his side. “I don’t hate him.”

“You always glare at him. Does it annoy you so much that someone might like me as a friend?”

“As a friend!” Nico’s voice echoes through the cave. _Friend. Friend. End._ “Do you think me blind?” He can’t help the laughter bubbling from his chest.

“What-why?”

“Do you think I don’t see how you look at each other? You said so yourself, you aren’t even trying to hide it. You rub it in my face every chance you have.”

“How could I rub my only friend in your face?”

“He’s not your friend! At least admit it.”

“I don’t understand.”

Frustration makes Nico bolder, maybe even braver. “Do you love him?”

Nico can only imagine the guilt on Lord William’s face. A part of him wishes he’d asked this question under the sunlight, so he could see the expression on Lord William’s face, the fear at being discovered. He could impress it in his memory. _This is why no one can be trusted,_ Nico would tell himself.

“I’m married to you.”

Lord William’s voice is final and strong, like he’s saying a universal truth, something no man nor god could ever shake or doubt. A tight knot forms in Nico’s stomach.

Nico doesn’t falter. “That’s not what I asked you. Do you love him?”

“Do you think I would throw myself in another man’s bed, as soon as you talk of divorce?”

“Has your father left his wife before taking another consort?”

“Once again you see my father in me.”

“How could I not, when I see you and that man every day? You’ve never needed help mounting your horse. Yet he helps you.”

“Because unlike you he is a nice person. He doesn’t need me to change, to spend time with me.”

“I’ve never asked you to change.”

“Every time I open my mouth you shout at me. What was it you said? You don’t always need to speak, for your words to be heard. Or something along those lines.”

Nico refrains from saying how much less dramatic his words were. Tiredness washes over him, and for the first time the shadows don’t feel like friends anymore. There are many things he would like to say and do, but he feels like he’s walking on egg shells.

“I just want to get out of here,” he finally says. He steps forward, and takes Lord William’s hand in his own. He can’t even appreciate its warmth and softness.

The sunlight blinds Nico. It takes him a few minutes to get used to it. They are on the mounts in the eastern part of the city. Waterfalls and the songs of the birds are the only sounds, the silence weights on Nico as a blanket under the sun heat. He looks over at Lord William. He has blood and mud on his face, Nico can’t imagine being much better off. When their eyes meet, Lord William’s are red.

“Are you hurt?” Nico asks. He kneels next to the log Lord William is sitting on, but once again he doesn’t know if he can touch.

Lord William shakes his head, and rubs the blood from his face. “It’s yours. When we moved, you hit your head.”

Nico is taken aback. He touches his head, but he has no sore spot. “Oh. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Unlike Nico, Lord William seems more open under the sun. “I thought you’d scream witchcraft and run from me.”

“I wouldn’t have left you in there alone.”

Lord William shakes his head, passing a hand through his hair.

“Say it,” Nico says. “If you have anything to say, just say it now.”

Lord William looks down at Nico. “I don’t want you to hate me.”

Nico feels like he’s been slapped. There’s not enough air for him to breathe. “I don’t hate you.”

“You would if you knew more.”

“I won’t hate you for your lovers.”

Lord William shakes his head. “I don’t have any lover. Why do you not listen to me?”

“Why do you not talk to me?”

“Because you don’t want to listen.”

Nico looks down at his hands. “If you take another man after the divorce, I don’t care. Just not while we are still married.” The words claw out of Nico’s throat, leaving it sore. Once again, it feels like having his heart squeezed in his very hands.

Lord William sighs, and his breath caresses Nico. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Nico can’t help the bitterness in his chest. Can they no longer have conversations without fighting, leaving nothing but dry ground between them? Everything they’ve said and done before their wedding feels like nothing but a slap in the face now. Were they not friends? Can’t they be like that again?

“Thank you, Lord William.”

Under the waterfall there’s a natural pool of fresh water. Nico kneels by its side. His reflection isn’t what he would have expected. There’s some mud, and dried blood, his eyes are as sad as they’ve never been before.

Nico slaps fresh water on his face. It doesn’t cool him down, not in any way. He steals a glance at Lord William. They’ve long since given up waiting to be rescued, and taken the matter in their own hands. Lord William looks tired, with sweat dripping down his forehead, and his cheeks flushed. Nico knows he isn’t much better.

Flowers adorn bay, with every breath Nico is taken aback from their perfume. It almost tastes like home, and the days spent with Bianca in the Queen’s Garden. Maybe Lord William has entered the Queen’s Garden and thought the same, and maybe that’s why he doesn’t often go there. The difference is so slight it makes Nico’s heart squeeze more.

Nico eyes Lord William again. He’s just drank, water drips down his chin, and to his chest. The sunlight catches those drops, makes them liquid diamonds.

“We should get some rest,” Nico says, finding it hard to swallow. “Before getting back, I mean.”

Lord William nods. He takes off his boots, dropping his feet in the water.

“It usually took us half a day to come here with a horse, when I was little,” Lord William says. His voice is hoarse, and he tear his gaze away from his feet.

Tension builds on Nico. He stands, to sit closer to Lord William. As he speaks, he takes off his boots as well. “Did you came here often?”

“Only in the summer. My Father didn’t want us risking our necks on the icy way up, even if we get much less snow than you do.”

Nico gives a light hearted snort. _Much less_ is an understatement. “You came here with your siblings, Lord William?”

“Lee and Michael. Do you see that pine over there, Your Highness?” He gestures to the other side of the clearing. “Lee used to hang a target on its branches, to practice archery. I’ve never been good for bows and arrows, and next to my brothers I looked like an idiot.” Lord William suddenly blushes. “It was just the three of us, when we were younger. Austin, Kayla, Jonathan –they used to live with their mothers in the countryside.”

“Until the war?” Nico asks. He finds himself with a longing in his heart, which pulls him forward. He doesn’t want this conversation to end, nor the soft sparkle in Lord William’s eyes to give out.

Lord William nods, fingering twisting his rings. It’s something Nico often does when he’s nervous, he must have passed it to Lord William with the time they’ve spent together. If he knew the knight better, Nico would be able to see whether sir Sherman has passed Lord William his habits.

“Yeah. Until the war. It wasn’t safe in the countryside anymore, they needed some place to stay. Lee lead the guards that went to Kayla’s mother’s estate, Michael those who went to Austin’s. They were attacked by monsters all the way up and down my Father’s territories, but they scrambled out alive, by some miracle.”

Once again, Nico is pulled forward by the longing in his chest.

“Lee and Michael were in Camp Half Blood too when I visited, weren’t they?”

Lord William raises his eyes. His words come out hoarser. “Yes. They were both part of the region. They left shortly after you did.” He gives Nico a half smile. “They liked you. Michael did.”

“I think Lee threatened me with a fork, at some point.”

Lord William laughs. It’s shaky and almost wet, but Nico takes it as a victory. Then Nico speaks again, and his words make Lord William freeze.

“I was surprised not to see them around. Nor at the wedding.”

He realizes it at the same time Lord William raises his eyes. Blue, gray and utterly broken. Nico recognizes the same expression in himself, when he was younger. Just at the start of the war.

“Oh,” is all he can say.

He knows what it feels like. The endless parade of ‘I’m sorry’ that escapes people’s mouth after such a revelation.

“So that’s why you weren’t at the funerals,” Lord William says. “Did no one tell you?”

Nico shakes his head. He remembers the pyres after the battle of Truia, before the morning council, when the winning kings decided what to make of Kronos’s surviving forces.

“No,” Nico says. If he closes his eyes, he can still hear the wood burning, and taste of smoke on his tongue. There are a hundred things he could say. _I know what you’re going through. You can talk to me about it. I know how bad it feels._ “No one told me.”

_There are still days when I don’t want to get out of bed. I want to curl up on myself, and forget that I am here and she is not._

Lord William clears his throat. “If we get to the town, guards will be scattered around for sure. They’ll bring us back to the palace.”

“Is it safe?”

“Of course. Well, here. I am not sure it would be, if we were in Caere.”

“It probably wouldn’t. People blame me for the war.” Nico bows his knee, and lays an arm on the knee. “They aren’t totally wrong, of course. I don’t think they would hurt you. I’d much rather if you didn’t take your chances.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

Lord William stumbles on his feet and falls, just at the feet of the mountain. Nico kneels by his side, as Lord William hisses in pain.

“Where are you hurt?” Nico asks. His voice comes out choked.

Lord William looks at him from behind his lashes. “Just my hands. They’re scraped.” There’s also a patch on his left knee, but Nico can admit he isn’t in mortal danger.

Nico stands, and helps Lord William do the same. “Can you not heal yourself, Lord William?”

“Only the most powerful healers can, Your Highness. It takes a great deal of concentration. I’ve heard not even my half-brother Asclepius could.”

They start walking again, but Nico doesn’t pay attention to his steps. He looks at Lord William’s.

“I remember hearing you have reattached a boy’s limbs, Lord William. I’d say you out-power your half-brother.” Nico blushes as soon as the words leave his mouth.

When Lord William speaks again, his voice is thoughtful. “He brought a man back from death.”

“But did he reattach his limbs?”

Lord William’s laughter comes in two phases. The first phase, he stops dead on his feet, and raises his hands to his face. Nico thinks he’s said the wrong thing, until the second phase comes, and Lord William leans forward with his upper body, shaking with laughter.

Nico drinks in that sound. This is how he wants to remember Lord William after the divorce. How wonderful it would have been if happiness had found Lord William in Caere.

When they reach the streets of the city, the sun has long since gone down. The stars are beautiful, but Nico finds himself longing for something more. What, he can’t understand.

“It that the university you wanted to attend, Lord William?” Nico asks, gesturing to the blue building, barely visible in the night. Its roof towers those around it.

“Yes, how do you know?”

Nico shrugs. Should he say he just knows? Would it be strange? Then he meets Lord William’s eyes, and can’t bring himself to lie.

“I heard sir Sherman asking you, when we arrived,” he says. He scratches the back of his neck, feeling hot all over.

“Oh.” Lord William shifts his weight from one side to the other. “Was that before I passed out?”

“Yes. So,” Nico clears his throat, before starting to walk again. Even that distraction doesn’t make the atmosphere any less awkward. “How did he know? I heard you were…” Nico gestures with his hands.

“Lovers, you already accused me of that. Are you asking me if we also talk of our hopes and dreams, after we make love?”

It feels like a slap to the face. Nico knew Lord William was sir Sherman’s lover. He’s known it for more than a week now, it shouldn’t hurt so much. Except that it does.

“No, wait, I didn’t mean it like that,” Lord William says. He raises his hand, as though he could erase the words from the air, from Nico’s memory.

Nico clears his throat. “It’s too late to be out. We really should get back to the palace.”

Nico turns to leave, his arms tightly crossed on his chest. Something is pounding in his head, and breathing takes much more effort than it should. He swears he is the only man who feels cold in the whole Delphi.

He hears Lord William’s steps behind him. “I really didn’t mean it like that.”

“You just said you two make love.” Nico turns around, throwing his hands in the air. “How else could you mean it?”

“You keep treating me like a whore, I don’t know what else to say when the truth isn’t enough for you.”

“What truth? Which one is the truth?” Nico takes a step forward, the need to shake Lord William by the shoulders is a living thing in him, twisting and turning and crawling. “You said two, which exclude the other. Which is the truth.”

Lord William takes a deep breath. “Maybe the one I’ve said for the longest time.”

“You should see yourself. Because really, your mouth says a thing, but your eyes say another.”

A drop of sweat runs down Lord William’s temple. Nico wants to wipe it away.

“Don’t be so pretentious. You never even look at me in the eyes, whenever I talk you just start looking out the windows, or to your Father, until I shut up again.”

“We always shout when we listen to each other. I doubt the council would like that.”

“Can you never stop thinking of the council? Don’t you see how much it hunts you? Even miles away, you can say nothing but what the council wants you to say.”

“You make me sound like a dog on a leash.”

Lord William leans closer, their chest are almost touching. Under the sweat, he smells of lavender. “Those aren’t my words. If you say them, maybe it’s because you believe them.”

Nico leans closer still, plastering a tight lipped smile on his face. “Maybe if you say you and sir Sherman make love, I should have him thrown in Tartarus.”

“Even if I had a harem of lovers, you wouldn’t take it out on them.” Lord William’s breath dances like a ghost on Nico’s face, and once again Nico fells the pulling in his chest.

Nico’s smile fades. “Wouldn’t I?” He tries to take a step back, but Lord William’s hands shot to his wrists, keeping him at place. If Nico wishes to, he could easily step back. Lord William isn’t putting pressure on his wrists, but his fingers are warm and gentle, and Nico finds himself with no desire of moving.

“Wouldn’t I, Lord William?” Nico asks again. He wants to know, he wants Lord William to feel at a short for word, for once.

“No. You wouldn’t.” Lord William’s eyes are resolved, he believes in what he is about to say. “Because you aren’t just the ruthless prince who led an army to war when he was barely a boy, you are also Nico.”

_Nico._ “Is there a difference between the two?”

“Nico can an ass, but he is also kind, and gentle. He wouldn’t let his sister unhappy, and brought her away from the council’s eyes so that she could learn witchcraft. Even if he doesn’t believe it to be any good. He wouldn’t leave the husband he doesn’t trust alone in a cave. So you might forgive me, if I think there’s a difference between the two.”

But all Nico can hear beyond the pounding in his chest, is Lord William saying his name. Has it ever tasted so sweet from someone else’s lips? Has it ever made Nico’s toes curl in his shoes?

“You make it sound like I do wonders,” Nico says, his voice breaks a little. “But all I hear are things a decent human being would do. You must have met a whole lot of awful people, if you think highly of someone who just cares about his sister.”

“I have, and you are not one of them.” Lord William’s breath is always warm, and Nico wishes he could breath of it.

“How do you know?”

“When I heal someone, I see-”

“Your Highnesses!”

If looks could kill, Nico would have killed the whole party of his guards. He was so caught up in Lord William’s eyes, he hasn’t heard any of them coming.

Sir Sherman’s eyes dart between the two of them. Nico dares him to say a word with a raised eyebrow. _My husband, not yours._ Slowly, Lord William lets go of Nico. The loss feels like that of a limb.

Nico recognizes the captain of the guard as Chiron, the centaur who ran Camp Half Blood. Nico has hated the memory of the camp for a long time, and he has treated everyone who reminded him of it like shit. He can admit it, even if it is a blow to his chest to do so. Yet Chiron looks at him with gentleness.

“Sir Chiron,” Nico says.

Lord William corrects him immediately. “It’s Lord Chiron, actually. My father has given him lands and a title.”

“Don’t say it too loud, or someone will hear you, _Your Highness_ ,” Lord Chiron says, with a smile on his face. He opens his arms, and Lord William throws himself in it, hugging him as he laughs.

“Did I really need to get lost in the caves for you to give me attention?” Lord William asks, after letting go of Lord Chiron. Nico drinks in the sight of him, with flushed cheeks, hair a mess, and a smile bright enough to lighten every cave of Delphi.

“I heard Prince Perseus visited you in Caere,” Lord Chiron says. “Is that the truth?”

“He has some news,” Lord William replied. He clasped his hands behind his back, and smiled at Lord Chiron’s raised eyebrow. “I won’t tell you a thing.”

Lord Chiron shakes his head. “You will tell me everything and more before we reach the palace.”

“Now I won’t do it,” Lord William says. Nico’s expression must show his confusion, because as soon as Lord William sees it, he adds, “Lord Chiron was my tutor. He taught me of the healing arts.”

“Then I shall thank you,” Nico says, with his most diplomatic voice. “Lord William has saved me more than once.”

Servants fret around Lord William and Nico, a healer checks their injuries. Just as he’s healing Lord William’s hands, Hazel comes in. She hugs Nico tightly, murmuring her apologies. If any good comes out of this, is that Hazel doesn’t want to learn about witchcraft anymore. Being grateful makes Nico’s skin crawl a bit, but he smiles.

The hug ends, and she sweep her hands on her cheeks. “Gods, you smell awfully.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I was too occupied getting out of a cave, and forgot to wash myself.”

Hazel smiles. “You’re forgiven.”

Nico would throw her the pillow he’s sitting on, if only the thought of moving an inch didn’t hurt him as much. He doesn’t have any serious injury, but his muscles are sore, and he has the beginning of a headache.

The healer bows one last time before leaving, and they remain alone.

“You’ll never guess who I’ve seen today,” she says. She crosses her legs, obviously waiting for Nico to be excited.

Before Nico can say just how much he’d like to sleep instead of being here, Lord William responds.

“General Zhang?”

Hazel’s smile crumbles down. She turns to Nico. “I want you to ask for a divorce.”

Lord William chokes on his saliva, and start coughing. Nico doesn’t blame him, it’s hard to breath for him too. But how much has changed in little more than two days, Lord William skin is tanning again, and his eyes shine brighter than they ever have in Caere.

When Nico raises a hand to pass it through his hair, it’s shaking. “So? How is he?”

“He’s-he’s fit. He has a lot of medals from the war, but he’s always so kind-”

“Isn’t he sir Sherman’s half-brother?” Nico asks. Lord William stops choking, just to send him a death glare. Nico sinks in his chair.

“They didn’t grow up together,” Hazel says, waving her hand. “He’s a whole lot kinder than his brothers.”

“For sure kinder than Clarisse,” Nico muses.

“She was my friend, back in Camp,” Lord William says. He looks little in his armchair, with the lightening sky behind him. “She is kinder, when you get to know her.”

Nico has never thought before someone could look so nostalgic talking of the time of the war, but it was different for Lord William, wasn’t it? He’s been in Camp, for a time he has been sheltered from the most terrible pieces.

“Haven’t you heard from her, Lord William?” Nico asks.

“She’s not really good with feelings, and she kind of hates sentimental things, such as letters. But she is the one who sent sir Sherman to Caere, she wanted-”

She wanted Lord William to leave Nico and the crown, that is clear. Nico isn’t sure he’d like her.

“She doesn’t think too highly of her siblings,” Lord William continues. “She wants them to be stronger, and less arrogant.”

“Then she should send General Zhang to Caere, too,” Hazel says. Nico turns to her, with raised eyebrows, to find her grinning at him.

“I shall suggest it to her, if you wish so. I’ve heard she is being courted by sir Chris. He was kidnapped by Kronos’s forces.”

Nico nods. “I’ve heard of him.”

“I hope they both find peace with one another.” Lord William’s eyes are far away, and Nico isn’t sure he’s aware he’s talked out loud.

Hazel raises to her feet, and stretches. “I’ll let you two have some rest. Good night.” She leans down to kiss Nico’s cheek, and murmurs, “Don’t piss him off, and you’ll sleep inside tonight.”

Nico wants to respond, but by the time he realizes the implications, she is already at the door. Heat burns on Nico’s skin.

Lord William clears his throat. “We should sleep, too.”

Nico nods. They get ready for the night, Lord William uses the bathroom first. His nightclothes are white, and they result even brighter now that his skin is tanning again. His damp hair sticks to his forehead, and Nico can’t help but imagine running his fingers through the curls. Are they as soft as they look?

After Nico leaves the bathroom, he finds Lord William on the armchair.

“You should be sleeping,” is the first thing Nico says.

A red blush appears on Lord William’s skin. “So should you. I just-the sun is already up.”

Nico looks out of the window. It is true, the sun is up, and the palace is awakening.

“If you try to sleep outside, you won’t get a good rest,” Lord William continues. He tucks his hands between his knees. “I mean, the bed it big.”

Heat rises on Nico’s whole body. “Yes. It looks big.”

“If we share, we won’t even be touching each other. I mean, I won’t try anything.”

A small part of Nico is delighted to see Lord William’s blush deepening by the second. The rest of his mind can’t think, because he’s about to share his bed with Lord William. So he nods.

“Yeah. I didn’t expect you to,” he says. “I mean. I know you don’t want to, uh, yes. We should go.”

Before Lord William can say one more word, Nico is in the bedroom. He takes his ringers off, one by one, and drops them on the nightstand. Lord William does the same, before closing the tents of the window. Nico falls in bed, and he can barely keep a moan. The bed is so soft, but not too soft. He wishes he could bring it back to Caere.

Under the covers, he hears Lord William turning.

“I really don’t share my bed with other men, by the way.”

Nico wants to respond, but Lord William is already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so me saying fifteen hours was a lie, uh


	6. thorns and blood

Nico sits upright. Lord William, way closer than he was when they fell asleep, gives a snore. The curtains are closed around the bed, but a ray of sun enters from a little hole. Dust dances in that only spot.

“Are you decent, Your Highnesses?”

“Valdez,” Nico mumbles, before dropping on the bed again. He hugs the pillow, and curls on himself. However, he can’t sleep now that he knows Leo is in the room.

“Can you send him away?” Lord William mumbles. His words blur together, and his southern accent is stronger. It takes Nico’s breath away.

“Have you met him?” Nico asks him, his voice only a shade softer than usual. Then he speaks to Leo, and his harshness comes out. “How did you get past the guards?”

Leo snorts. “They said I’m too hot in the morning to deprive you the sight of me.”

“I’m here, too!” Hazel screams. Her voice comes from farther away, she must be waiting in the living room.

“So is Frank,” Leo adds, his voice lower than before. “Either the two of you get out of there, or I get in.”

“You know I’m prince, right?” Lord William mumbles something, and Nico blushes. “We are princes.” Lord William quiets down again.

“You’ve been sleeping for a whole day,” Leo continues. He steps closer to the bed, and Nico’s irritation grows stronger. “You two need-are you seriously putting skeletons around this bed? I get-I-don’t touch me! Dead Breath, do some-”

Lord William shots on his elbows. He has dried drool on the corner of his lips. “Are you using your powers?”

Nico blushes. “Of course not.”

“And now there are new skeletons!” Leo yelps. “Will, do control your husband!”

“I’m not his dog,” Nico says.

“You said you wouldn’t use your powers.”

“And I didn’t.”

“You’re using right them now.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, he is!” Leo exclaims. “I think-they’re handcuffing me! Do they want to bring me to Tartarus? I’m going to burn them!”

“You can’t burn bones,” Lord William says. Then he turns to Nico again. “Can you keep your skeletons at bay?”

Nico huffs. “You asked me to get rid of him.”

“This conversation is giving me abandonment issues,” Leo says.

“You are not our son.”

“You already sound like my parents!”

“Maybe if you told them why we’re here, we could leave, and they could get dressed!” Nico recognizes this voice as General Zhang’s, but he isn’t too sure, as he hasn’t seen him since the celebration for the end of the war.

“Right, right.” Leo clears his throat. “Their Royal Pain in the Asses are invited-”

“That’s it, I’m throwing him in Tartarus,” Nico grumbles. In a second, he is out of bed, the shadows descend upon the room.

“You’re using your powers again,” Lord William says.

Nico ignores him. Leo is shoved against the door by a skeleton. Nico sends it –and the ones scattered around the room– back to wherever they are from. They melt in the shadows.

Nico clasps his hands, and looks at Nico expectantly. “So?”

“Lord Apollo has requested you to breakfast,” Leo says.

“Why didn’t you say it sooner?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe for the skeletons trying to kill me?”

Nico scoffs. “They weren’t trying to kill you. And now get out, or they’ll come back.”

As Leo flees, Lord William snores again.

“Does your father always have breakfast outside, Lord William?” Nico asks, as he and Lord William take the stairs to the balcony.

“It does have the perfect view on the lake, Your Highness. My brothers and I brought you there first time you came here, didn’t we?”

“Yes. I think your brother Lee tried to push me inside.”

Lord William’s cheeks grow redder. “I don’t recall that incident, Your Highness.”

Nico bites his cheek, but his voice gives his amusement away. “I think you do.”

Lord William smiles, and Nico’s heart does a strange thing in his chest. He should get checked by the court physician, when he gets back home. Trumpets announce their arrival on the balcony, and they get to the only free sits, at the head of the table, next to Lord Apollo and Hyacinthus.

Nico doesn’t see Lord William’s mother anywhere, but today the table is even louder than usual, with Lord Apollo’s ward fighting with Kayla over who knows what.

“She didn’t live here when I visited you, did she?” Nico asks, gesturing with his head to _Meg_. If that’s her name, Nico can’t remember.

Lord William shakes his head. “No, she didn’t. This is the first time I’m meeting her, but we’ve exchanged letters.”

A servant puts lemon cake on Lord William’s plate, and he smiles kindly at the girl. She blushes a deep shade of red, and Lord Austin snorts.

“Only you can exchange letters with someone you don’t know,” Nico says. He tries to avoid glaring at the girl, but it’s really hard to do when he is sitting right there, and the girl is still around.

“It’s called good manners, Your Highness,” Lord William says. “I’m sure Alecto taught you some.”

Nico shivers. “Don’t say her name, you might call her here.”

“I heard she tried to kill Prince Perseus,” Lord Austin says.

Lady Daphne, Lord Apollo’s wife, leans forward. “Austin, please. Don’t encourage court gossip.”

“Oh, no, it is true,” Nico says. All eyes turn to him. That of Alecto and Prince Perseus is an old tale now, everyone knows of it. “I didn’t live in the palace when it happened, but Alecto told me and my sister some of it.” He holds Lord William’s gaze, the only one that doesn’t make him squirm at the moment. “My father has never liked Prince Perseus, it is no secret. Before the war, he needed something he thought my father had. Kronos was trying to put the three reigns one against the other, it was a trap. He thought my father would have imprisoned Prince Perseus, and King Poseidon would have moved to war. Only, Prince Perseus managed to escape Caere, and my father sent Alecto after him.”

“But she survived, didn’t she?” Lady Kayla asks.

“Even royals aren’t always lucky,” Hazel responds. “She survived, and she is still our tutor.”

“One can’t always win, I’ve been told,” Nico adds, looking at Lord William. He has the decency of blushing, and Nico counts it as another victory.

“Is she scary, Will?” Lord Jonathan asks. He is the youngest of Lord William’s siblings, only seven years old. He is missing various teeth, which makes his smile deeply unsettling for Nico.

“Extra scary,” Lord William nods. He leans forward his brother, who hangs from his words. “She often sits on the back of the King’s throne. When he gets angry, she opens her wings, and shows her claws.”

“What if he gets angry at you?”

Lord William waves his hand. “I’m his son’s husband, he can’t have me eaten by a harpy.”

Hazel nods. “Your brother is part of the royal family. He can command my Father’s harpies as well.”

Nico wishes he could disappear. Hazel talks of it like it will be forever, and it hurts Nico more than it should, to know that Lord William won’t stay forever. They might lie to themselves all they want, but he remembers Lord William’s unhappiness in Aita. Just because now they are in Delphi, doesn’t mean it has all gone away. The hurt is still there, Nico doesn’t need to go too deep to find it.

“Don’t forget Princess Hazel’s words,” Lady Daphne says. “For the next time you disobey Chiron, Will is sending his harpies to get you.”

“But dad says pretty boys can’t go to jail,” Lord Jonathan whines.

Lady Daphne raises a perfect eyebrow to her husband. “Does he, now?”

Lord Apollo shakes his head, dropping the napkin on the table. “He must have misheard.” Lady Daphne hums, petting Lord Jonathan’s hair. “I said pretty _men_. I recognize I’m not in the age for boys.”

“I find it more than unsettling that you had to precise that,” Hyacinthus says. However, Nico doesn’t think he is more than thirty.

“You can say it,” Meg pipes in. “You’re old. We can all see that.”

Lord Apollo gasps, throwing his fork on the table. “I am not old!”

Meg snarls. “Your wrinkles say the opposite.”

Nico looks at Lord William, but he doesn’t seem upset at all. Nor does the rest of the table. Nico wants to shake Lord William by the shoulders, understand why he isn’t unsettled at all. How different from the man in Aita, with the long silences and the blank expression.

“I don’t have any wrinkles,” Lord Apollo says.

Hyacinthus puts his hand on Lord Apollo’s arm. “My love, they look beautiful on you.”

Nico blushes. Does it feel only to him that he’s intruding? Shouldn’t they have this conversation somewhere more private? Without Lord Apollo’s children? And wife? Gods, Nico needs some air. And what are those eyes and looks they give each other?

“The grey hair doesn’t!” Meg says. Kayla slaps her arm, but she hides a smile behind a bite of egg.

“Mum says grey shirt don’t either,” Jonathan says.

Lady Daphna gives her husband a tight lipped smile. “I have never heard such words in my life.”

Lord Apollo waves her hand at her, and gives Jonathan a smile. “Grey is a horrible color, no one in his right smile would want to wear it, sweetie.”

Nico wonders whether Lord William was called _sweetie_ too when he was young, and if he’d like to be called that now. He buries the thought so deep, he will never find it again.

“But Aunt Artemis wears grey!” Jonathan says.

Lord Apollo waves his hand again. “She wears _silver_.”

“If you don’t recognize the color, you can see it in your father’s hair,” Lady Daphne says. “ _Sweetie_.”

“You needn’t be so bitter,” Lord Apollo says. “I remember calling you sweetie on more than one-“ Hyacinthus clears his throat, and darts his eyes to Nico and Hazel. Lord Apollo finally seems to understand. “Northerners.” He shakes his head. “I remember once taking a-”

Lord William interrupts him. “Oh, dear goodness. Father please.”

Lord Apollo crosses his arms on the chest. “You don’t even know what I was about to say.”

“Was that the story you told me before my wedding?”

“Yes, how did-?”

“Then please don’t tell it in front of Jonathan.”

Lord Apollo smiles, raising his hands. “Alright. But I’m sure you found my tips-”

“You are embarrassing him,” Hyacinthus says. “Please, stop before he decides to abandon the family.”

Jonathan laughs. “Mum always says he’s got our only brain cell.”

“That’s not something we are very proud of, Your Highnesses,” Lord Austin says.

Hazel smiles at him. The conversation, for some miracle, moves on to better things. Everyone seems to forget of Lord Apollo’s implication, although Nico’s skin tickles when he imagines what type of tips Lord Apollo told Lord William. A part of his brain wonders whether Lord William has tested them with sir Sherman. He wishes he could believe Lord William when he says he doesn’t sleep with sir Sherman.

After breakfast, Lord William leads his siblings, Nico, Hazel, Leo and Frank to the lake. The descend is fatigues, Lord William manages to tumble on every rock, but he laughs it away. When they reach the shore, Nico is afraid he’ll have to bring Lord William to Caere in pieces.

Lord William puts his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath. “I’ve never felt so close to death.”

“And he sleeps with Dead Breath every night,” Leo says.

Nico turns to Lord William with a smile. “My three days of no-powers are over, aren’t they?”

Lord William bites his cheek, before nodding. And so Nico raises the skeletons. Leo runs in the water, completely dressed, but it doesn’t stop the skeletons.

Hazel raises her eyebrow. “Mother says you can’t scare off our friends like that.”

“She is not my mother,” Nico snaps.

Hazel glares at him. “Would it be so bad if she were?”

Nico crosses his arms on the chest. “That’s not the point.”

Lord William clears his throat. “There are some daises on the shore, Your Highness. Would you like to see them?”

“Actually, I think that’s a sight to see, Your Highness,” Frank tells Nico, his gaze still on Leo. He’s started throwing fire balls at the skeletons, without worrying about the water that reaches his hips.

Nico elbows Hazel. “See? He appreciates me.”

“Go see your daises,” she responds, shoving him towards Lord William. Lord William laughs, as Nico combusts.

The sun shines bright on the lake, and Nico keeps his hands clasped behind his back, but all he can do is think of the days Lord William offered him his arm, when they were younger. He steals a glance at Lord William, but he is looking at the lake.

There’s a strict path between the lake and the weeds, Nico follows Lord William’s steps. He hopes the daises won’t be far, he doesn’t wish to walk all day.

Once they are far enough from the others to hear nothing but their voices, Lord William stops. He sits on a wide, plain rock on the shore, but Nico can’t see any daisy nearby. Lord William caresses the tall grass with his hand. When he turns to Nico, the sun kisses his skin so gently the whole world should be envious.

“There are no daises, Lord William,” Nico says. He sits next to Lord William, their knees bump lightly. It’s such a small feeling, something there but not really. It makes something bloom in Nico’s heart.

“I lied, Your Highness. I needed some time away from my siblings. I thought you might need it, too.”

“You have always been a people person,” Nico says. He takes a weed, and turns it around his finger, until it is as red as the pomegranates in the Queen’s garden. “As long as I’ve known you, at least. Never thought I’d see the day you didn’t want people around.”

Lord William shrugs. “Sometimes it just gets too much. I-” he clears his throat, but words come out chocked. “I need to breathe, sometimes. And I can’t do it if they are around, and they keep talking. Then I start snapping. I don’t want them to remember me that way when I’m not around.”

Nico’s breath is caught up in his throat, and it isn’t for the strong smell of dirty water. “Do you want me to leave, Lord William?”

Lord William shrugs again. He sets his gaze on the lake, where the sunrays dance on the surface. “You don’t try to fill the silences.”

“Does it not freak you out? How much I like silences?”

Lord William doesn’t turn his body, but his gaze focuses on Nico. Blue, gray, and utterly beautiful. “Not at all.”

“Your silences freaked me out. I was used to you always talking. I will remember now.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

And so the afternoon goes. They don’t stay there all day, but at some point Nico falls asleep. He is awaken by Leo, who is bouncing up and down the rock, and wants to show them some new engineering thing he’s just done. Hazel seems excited, too, and Nico can’t deny her a thing.

After dinner, Nico and Hazel find themselves alone in the gardens. They walk together, Hazel’s arm on Nico’s elbows. If Alecto saw them, she would almost be proud. Of herself, of course, not of them.

Hales is wearing a white and golden dress, which compliments her hair and eyes, as well as her skin. Much like Lord William, she looks good in everything she wears.

Hazel stops by a bench, and they sit down. The smell of roses inebriates Nico, it is strong and pure.

“Nico, can I ask you something?”

Nico raises his eyes from the white and pink petals. He isn’t sitting in a very princely manner, something he always finds difficult to do when he is alone with Hazel. She makes him forget most of his duties.

“Of course you can.”

_Let it not be witchcraft again_. The sole thought makes him sick. If it makes Hazel happy, why should he ask her not to do it?

“Well. What do you think of General Zhang?”

Nico blinks. “Frank? Well –he is nice. I don’t know him too well, but he is good friends with Percy, isn’t he? Jason often talks of him. Why are –oh. Do you want to start a courtship with him?”

“I’ve known him since before the war. We were friends. I think –I think I’ve felt this way for quite some time, now. He is always so nice, and kind. He is a really good person.”

“So are you. Has he asked you anything yet?”

Hazel plays with the golden hem of her dress. “He is a bit afraid of you.”

“I love him already.”

Hazel laughs, throwing her head back and putting her hands on her belly. Pride blooms warm in Nico’s chest, but it doesn’t shake the coldness away. How has he not realized sooner? How little time does he have with Hazel left? She is still sixteen. They have two years before she can get married. He needn’t worry yet. A lot happens in two years. Wait, no. He can’t think like this, Hazel is his sister. He wishes her all happiness in the world.

“Would you talk with him, then? Before we leave?” Hazel asks, wiping her hands on her cheeks.

Nico nods. “Whatever you wish.” Does she understand how deeply he means it?

A strangled sound leaves Hazel’s throat. It takes Nico a moment to realize it’s a sob, and that she’s crying. Afterward, when they hug, Hazel’s shampoo mixes with the perfume of the roses. Nico inhales deeply.

Will is startled awake. At first, he thinks someone has entered the bed. It takes him a minute too long to realize no one has entered, but it was Prince Nico awakening.

He is sitting upright on the bed, with his hands on his throat. Will can’t see whether his eyes are open, but he is sniffling. Is he crying?

Will raises on his elbows. “Your Highness?”

The Prince startles. He looks down at Will, the only sound is that of the blankets brushing against their skins. “I’m sorry.”

It must be that Will has never heard the Prince apologizing to anyone, not even the King. It makes his skin crawl, and heart beat faster, because there’s something fundamentally wrong.

Will sits. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to sleep now. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“You were sleeping. I’ve awaken you. I’ll sleep outside tomorrow.”

“What–no. I don’t mind. Did you have a nightmare?”

The Prince stays silent. He raises his hand to his face, and Will wishes he could see better. He could, if he used his powers. However, it would freak the Prince out.

It must be that he is tired, and it’s night. Will completely forgets his place, and that just because they are married, he can’t talk to the Prince as he pleases. “Sometimes I have them too.”

Prince Nico turns to him. “Do you?”

Will nods. “Yeah. Sometimes I dream I can’t heal the people I love. Like, they have a wound, maybe it’s just a scratch, but I can’t heal it, and they die in my arms. Sometimes it’s my brothers I can’t save. Lee and Michael.”

Prince Nico sniffles again. “You were saying something about the times you heal people. The other day, before the guards found us.”

Will’s heart bumps louder in his chest. How close he’d been to Prince Nico, in those moments. If he’d whispered the words, with little or no force, the Prince would have still heard them.

“I can see people’s souls when I heal them. Not completely, I see scratches. It’s why I always ask before I heal them, at least if there’s the possibility of asking.”

“So you’ve seen mine.”

“You don’t have anything to be shy about. It’s –I mean. You have a good soul.”

Prince Nico chuckles. “Are you an expert?”

Will can’t help the smile. “I have seen my deal of souls.”

The Prince laughs, and Will’s skin tickles with the need for more. He has been longing for something, for so long now, he sometimes doesn’t realize it’s still there.

“Can I tell you something?”

Will can’t breathe for a moment. From the Prince’s voice it doesn’t sound like anything bad, but who knows? The Prince is better than Will at conceiving his emotion.

Will clears his throat. “Of course.”

It turns out to be something Will wouldn’t have dreamed of hearing. Not from the Prince’s lips, and not with such wonders as there is in his voice.

“You glow when you heal.”

The Prince’s phrase is followed by silence only, it seems to last for an hour. When Will talks, he is surprised the sun isn’t high in the sky.

“Do I?”

“Yes. It’s a golden light, and it takes your whole body. It’s-it’s how I imagine the sun to be, if I could look at it without burning my eyes. Did you not know it?”

Will shakes his head. “No one’s ever told me.”

He can imagine the smug smile on Prince Nico’s face. He is always proud of himself when he manages to be the first doing something, although he would call it a blatant lie if Will said so. That’s why, as Will thinks, Prince Nico doesn’t want other men to be with him. If he ever wished to be with Will, he would be the first.

“Is that why you don’t want me to heal people?” Will asks. “Do you not want me to glow?”

“I’ve never said a thing about you not healing people.”

Will bites his tongue. Ever since they’ve gotten married, he’s been forbidden from using his healing powers on anyone. “But you don’t think it would be fit for the Prince’s consort.”

“How would you know what I think?”

“Because the fucking council told me!”

Will realizes a second later what he’s said. Fuck. Sometimes, if feels as though Michael has entered his body and used his mouth. Will would never say such words. He’s never been angry enough.

“They told you I didn’t want you to heal people?”

Will sighs. “Yes.” It’s more awkward than he thought any conversation with the Prince could be. Maybe because they don’t usually talk, they start shouting mid-sentence. “Well, not exactly. They said you thought it would be unfit for your consort to go around, touching people to heal them.”

Will can’t bear the silence that follows. He lays on his back, and stares at the ceiling with a feigned regular breath schedule, until the Prince does the same. Will can’t sleep until morning. He sleeps more than usual, and when he wakes up the other side of the bed has long since gone cold.

Servants fret around him, with brushes and gel, until his hair is sticky and couldn’t move from his head even if there were a tornado. He wears his usual clothes, but there’s something in his chest.

He doesn’t know how to deal with this. His relationship with the Prince is more than unusual. The divorce will divide them soon enough, and Wil can’t help but fear it. There’s a hole in his chest from last night. How can he always feel so close yet so far from the Prince? Sometimes, he’s Nico. Sometimes, he’s the Prince. It’s like they are two different people, and Will never knows who he is talking to, before the talking turns into shouting.

Will leaves the empty suite, and walks to breakfast alone. He is surprised to find the Prince deep in conversation with Hazel, their heads bent close, and a half smile on the Prince’s lips. Their eyes meet for a brief moment, before the Prince looks away, as though the sole sight of Will burns him.

Will sits between Jonathan and Daphne. Jonathan takes his hand between his own.

“Will you play archery with me today?” Jonathan asks. He has big, blue eyes, and Will always finds it difficult to say no.

“You know it always ends up badly when I have a bow,” Will says. He takes a bite from the lemon cake on his plate. It never tastes so good in Aita.

“But you can just watch me!”

Will smiles. “Then I will come.”

Jonathan nods, then he leans closer to Will. “Can your husband come?”

Will blinks. “My –what?”

Jonathan turns to his mother. “Aren’t they married?”

Will nods. “Yes, yes, of course we are. But why do you wish him to be there?” Will isn’t annoyed in the slightest, he’s just surprised. The Prince doesn’t have a reassuring appearance, he can admit it. Usually, children don’t throw themselves at him.

Jonathan snorts. “He is a war hero, Will. I want to be a knight.”

Will avoids telling his brother that the Prince doesn’t often have good relationship with knights. “Then why don’t you ask him?”

“But dad says if you warm someone’s bed, then you can convince them better.”

Will sends a death glare at his father, but he is occupied in feeding Hyacinthus fruit to notice. Daphne chokes in her orange juice.

“When you ask Prince Nico, don’t tell him that,” Will says. “Actually, never say it again. To anyone.”

Jonathan nods, then he trots over to Prince Nico and Hazel. Daphne leans over the vacant chair, and tilts her head as she looks at Will up and down.

“How are you finding married life?” she asks.

Will ignores the knot on his stomach, and steals a glance at the Prince. How is he finding married life?”

“It’s not like I thought it would be,” he admits. “It’s fairly different.”

“Is he good to you?”

“He is good to everyone.”

Daphne straightens her back. “I see. Why don’t you join me to the northern stables? You haven’t seen the calves,” She stands, but waits for his nod before walking to the door.

Will leaves his napkin on the table, and follows her outside. As the trumpets sound to announce their leaving, Will feels someone’s gaze on his back. When he turns, he is disappointed to see Prince Nico with his eyes glued on the table.

The weather is warm, but no sunrays come from the sky. The sun is covered by a thick layer of dark clouds, soon it will rain. Only, in Delphi it doesn’t rain. Will has always found the weather close to his father’s character, he doesn’t settle for scratches, and neither does Delphi. Either the rain pours so strong from the sky everyone thinks the end is near, or it doesn’t rain at all.

“I didn’t know the cows had given birth yet,” Will says.

Daphne gives him a smile, as the stable boy opens the wooden doors. “Jonathan has cried for days. He couldn’t believe you would miss it. He asked the stable boys to keep the little cows in the big cows, until his brother came home.”

Will sighs, as his heart is squeezed in an iron fist. “I’m sorry he misses me so much.”

“Don’t be. He loves you, of course he misses you. He was really happy to see you here. Actually, I wanted to advise you about keeping him far from your husband, at least until he has bows and arrows.”

Will snorts, before realizing Daphne is serious. “That’s-wow.”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Wouldn’t want you to be a widower before you reach twenty.”

Daphne leads Will to the end of the stables, where the calves are. Will brushes their golden hairs with gentle touches.

“So, now that we are alone,” Daphne continues. “How are you, really?”

Will sits next to the calf, its head falls on Will’s lap. Its wet nose brushes Will’s skin. He inhales deeply, the perfume of the hay tickles his nose.

“The Prince isn’t happy. He’s asking for-” Will gestures with his hands, he can’t bring himself to say it. When they talk, the Prince never says that word, as though it might crush them both under their weight.

Daphne puts her hands on her mouth. “Oh, goodness, Will.” She sits in front of him, and she is nice and a nymph, yet Will has never seen her sitting on the ground, especially in the stables. “I’m so sorry. How are you taking it?”

“I don’t know. How should I take it? I-I don’t really know.” Will shrugs, playing with the calf’s ears. He closes his eyes, and rests his head against the wooden wall.

Daphne puts her hand on the calf’s belly, stroking it gently. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t even know. We always –we are too different, I guess. We always shout and scream, and I don’t know. There’s always tension between us. Either we fight, or we don’t talk at all. I don’t know what I prefer.”

“So you’re happy about the divorce.”

“I should be. Shouldn’t I?”

Daphne shrugs. “I didn’t want the divorce either, after I discovered your father was having an affair. And then more than one. It took me quite some time to get used to it.”

“I can’t stand by and watch him take other-” Will gestures with his hand, his cheeks red with embarrassment. “Other partners. I don’t think I can do it.”

Daphne nods. “I knew you wouldn’t. Haven’t you tried mending your relationship?”

Will exhales through gritted teeth. “I’m afraid there’s nothing to mend. We –we don’t really have a relationship. I’m pretty sure he dislikes me.”

“I’ve never heard of one person disliking you.”

Will shakes his head. “Yes, but he –you’ve never seen him when we are with the council. Every time I open my mouth, he rolls his eyes, or sighs, or looks away until I shut up again. I don’t know, it –it makes me feel dirty.”

“You shouldn’t feel like that in a marriage.”

“Yeah.” Will passes his hand under his nose. “I shouldn’t.”

“Can I tell you the truth, Will?” Will nods. Daphne tucks a strand of his hair behind his silver crown, then her hand lingers on his cheek. “I think it is for the best if you two take some time. You were thrown in this marriage when you were both young, believe me when I say I understand that. I was barely nineteen when your father and I married. We loved each other, only for Eros’s trick. You need some time to adjust. Spend some time apart, it might you do some good.”

“I’ve never understood why you didn’t divorce, after Eros’s _thing_ wore off.”

Daphne chuckles. “After his _thing_ wore off, we were friends. Not the best of friends, sometimes I still blame him for it, I can’t control it. We had Lee, and Jonathan together. It still feels like we might be more than friends. At the end of the day, I love him, and he loves me.”

“And isn’t that enough to be together? Just the two of you, with no consorts or lovers?”

“Not for people like your Father.”

Will snorts. “People who can’t keep it in their pants?”

“Don’t disrespect him. I’ve never asked that of him.” Daphne crosses her legs, leaning against the wooden railing. “His father has given him more issues than one could ever admit.”

Will snorts. “Yeah. He sucked.”

Daphne chuckles. “Finally I see you’re yourself again. You didn’t look so good, when you got here. Your mother and father were worried.”

Will raises his eyebrow. “I haven’t even talked to her alone.”

“You know Naomi. She’s been busy.”

“She always is. I-nothing. Just, nothing.”

“I won’t tell neither your father nor her a thing. Talk to me, come on. You can’t shock me.”

Will shakes his head. “It’s nothing, really.”

“It’s your feelings. It’s not nothing.”

A piece of hay pangs Will’s finger, enough to draw out a drop of blood. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage.”

“I always worry about you. I’ve seen you grow up, and turning into a beautiful man. You are my son.” Will bites his lips, his eyes burning as hot as the sun, and Daphne takes his hand between her own. “Are you happy?”

Will can’t stop a sob. “I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls give me validation  
> should I continue with the shared povs? I kinda loved writing from Will's pov


	7. choose hay or rain, cuddle or death

Will hugs his siblings, Lord Apollo’s wards, Leo, Frank, his Father, Hyacinthus and Lady Daphne tightly on the stairs of the Palace of Gold. The sun shines hot on his back, but it isn’t enough to warm the hole in his chest.

He kneels in front of Jonathan, and opens his arms. His brother throws himself on him, and Will risks falling and breaking his back. The laughs die in his throat, when he realizes Jonathan is wiping against his neck.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Prince Nico talking to Calypso and Leo. The hole in his heart becomes a little deeper. He kisses Jonathan’s forehead, his eyes sting like never before. Maybe because he knows it won’t be too long before he sees Jonathan again, and it shouldn’t hurt so much.

Will mounts his horse, and waits for Prince Nico to do the same. With no one before them, they’ll be the ones dictating the pace.

As they get out of the gates, Prince Nico sends him a half-amused glance. Or maybe it isn’t amused, Will never knows with the Prince.

“I see you’ve mounted alone, Lord William” he says.

Will looks back, where his Father is hugging Jonathan, and kissing his forehead. Kayla’s hands cover her face, and Will wishes he could go back with no consequences. Is there no way to make everyone happy?

A part of him wish to wipe that expression away from the Prince’s face. He just tightens his lips, and nods.

“Were you happy to come here?” The Prince asks.

Will nods again. “Thank you.”

The Prince doesn’t say anything else, and Will wishes he could go back in time and let him talk. Then he remembers their conversation by the lake.

“Did you find Delphi of your liking?” Will asks.

The Prince nods. “It’s even more beautiful than I remembered. The gardens would make Persephone jealous. Don’t tell her, of course. She’d have our heads.”

Will didn’t think it would be so easy after seeing his family after months, and telling them goodbye again, but he laughs.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says. “Will we shadow travel to Caere?”

Prince Nico raises an eyebrow. “My, Lord William. I see you paid attention to the Queen and Lady Reyna’s detailed traveling schedule.”

Will can barely stop himself from sticking his tongue out. The roof of leaves and flowers on their heads barely keeps the sun from their faces. It dances in a rather mesmerizing way on the Prince’s skin. Will remembers meeting him for the first time, and thinking _that’s how princes should be_. Prince Nico had a way of carrying himself, back when he was a kid, which inspired trust in Will since their first meeting. That’s saying something, considering the Prince was covered in blood and mud.

“I will take mercy on you, and tell you anyway.”

“That’s really generous of you, Your Highness.”

“You’re lucky I’m such a pitiful ruler.”

“I shall tell the tale of this day until my last breath.”

“Goodness I can’t take this anymore,” Hazel mutters from behind them.

Will feels heat rising to his face, and Prince Nico clears his throat.

“We will take a boat,” he says.

Will nods. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Hazel snickers. Will blushes.

Nico is sitting on the railing of the boat with Lord William and Hazel when it happens. Thanks to the nymphs and the spirits of the water –which they’ve paid a lot– what would have been a months long journey, will be over in a day. They’ve left the shores of Delphi in the late afternoon, by today’s night they will be in the Lethe, whose waters they’ll use to shadow travel.

Nico recognizes the shores as those of the Reggia di Venezia, where he has lived with Bianca and his mother. Is breath is caught up in his throat. How many times has he dreamed he could go back in time, and run on those rocky hills and the fjords?

Hazel elbows him in the side. “Alright?”

Nico nods, but he can’t bring himself to talk, not until he sees Lord William’s confused expression.

“This is where we would have spent our honeymoon, if there hadn’t been the attacks.”

Lord William seems to understand. “So this is the fjord, right?” He looks around, leaning forward, and Nico’s fingers tickle with the need to keep him on the boat by upside the head.

“People say those who fall in the dark fjords come out as monsters,” sir Sherman says.

Nico startles, he hasn’t heard the knight coming. Does he never work? Nico should make sure he does. He’ll talk to Hedge about him when they get back. Maybe he should also send a letter to this Clarisse, and tell her to keep her brothers in their home, instead of sending them to his. He needs to remind himself that he likes Frank. A bit.

“Is that a threat?” Lord William asks, tilting his head to the side.

Sir Sherman scoffs. “I’m a royal guard, Will. When you lean over the railing of a boat, you really make my job ten times more difficult.”

Would Nico die if he threw himself in the waters? Is he petty enough to do it?

“Never seen him doing his job once,” Nico mutters, still calculating his chance of survival if he jumps.

He didn’t mean for sir Sherman to hear him, but guess what, it happens. And Lord William isn’t amused in the slightest.

“My brother is joking,” Hazel says.

Nico can’t tear his eyes away from Lord William’s, his cheeks grow redder by the second. Lord William looks like he might push Nico beyond the railing by himself.

“He has a dry sense of humor,” Hazel adds. She squeezes Nico’s hand, but he can’t even move.

He doesn’t know why he’s so shocked by this. It’s not like he and Lord William have never fought, but in the last few days they haven’t, and now Nico has gone and ruined everything.

He opens his mouth, but before he can say one more thing, Lord William shakes his head and stomps away. Sir Sherman clears his throat, before bowing and –well, Nico doesn’t feel like watching whether he follows Lord William.

Nico bites his lip. “I really thought I was whispering.”

Hazel shakes her head, bouncing her right foot on the floor. “The only way to avoid these arguments could be, I don’t know, not saying such things. If you just think them, Will doesn’t hear and you don’t fight.”

Nico looks at the dark sky. “Father and Persephone fight a lot, too.”

“They bicker. It’s different.” Hazel sighs. “Come on, Nico. You’ve been different lately. What’s up?”

“Nothing’s up.”

“Of course. So I’m just imagining that you’re always distracted, always lost in that head of yours? You can talk to me.”

Nico shakes his head. “It’s just the tension. I’m approaching twenty-five.”

Hazel snorts. “You’re still eighteen. Almost nineteen, I’ll give you that. The council can shove all their reservations up their asses.”

“On that I agree, but you need to keep your voice down when you say things like that.”

“Okay, we’ve gone around the real reason you’ve been upset long enough. Out with it.”

Nico looks around. The boat isn’t small, but not even big enough for them to have privacy. With such important matters, privacy is everything.

“Can we talk about it later?”

Hazel nods. “Sure. Do you want to talk about something good?”

Nico snarls, crossing his arms on his bowed knees. “Yes, please, tell me everything about General Zhang. I’ve almost forgotten that he has golden sparks in his eyes, which is the color of your eyes, so you two must be soulmates.”

Hazel laughs, loudly and obnoxiously. She hits Nico’s arms, until Nico stops talking, and then some more.

Before Nico realizes it, they’ve left the fjord behind.

Reyna waits for them in the study. The guards advise Nico as he enters the shared quarters.

He opens the door without knocking. She’s reading some paper, and Nico sits behind the wooden table. He waits for some minutes, looking out of the window at the cold night. When his yawns become too deep, Reyna finally looks up.

“Are you falling asleep?”

Nico shakes his head, sitting straighter. “No, of course not.”

“Of course.” With a smile, Reyna puts her feather and ink down. She leans against the chair back, and studies Nico for a few seconds. “You look more relaxed. The King will be pleased.”

“There is no pleasing my father, you know it.”

“He was pleased the day of your wedding.”

“Then we can only imagine how happy he’ll be of looking for another consort.” Nico shivers at the sole thought.

“He likes Prince William. He finds him quite charming, I’ve heard.”

Nico snarls. “My Father doesn’t like people. He barely stands them. He barely stands his own children, actually.”

“He thought Prince William would make you happy.” Reyna sighs, and shakes her head. Looking out of the window, she adds, “It’s not the time for this conversation, is it?”

Nico shrugs. “Depends how long it’ll take.”

“I can get back tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry. Is it about the divorce?”

“Yes. I’ve looked over some papers, to see how to better deal with it.”

As Reyna’s discourse goes on, Nico tries –and fails– at keeping his shoulders straight. With every word, she is putting a brick on his shoulders.

They are thinking of how to tell the King, when the door is swung open. Lord William, with flushed cheeks and a sleepy expression, leans on the door frame. His crown lays crooked on his golden hair.

He smiles at Reyna, and greets her, before turning to Nico. “You should be sleeping,” he says.

Nico gestures to the table. “As you can see, I’m working.”

Lord William almost whines. “Well, you shouldn’t. We’ve been traveling all day.”

Nico grimaces. “You’re such a child when you’re tired.”

Lord William rubs his eyes, widening his mouth to yawn. “You’re a child all day.” Nico laughs, and Lord William closes his eyes. “You should go to sleep.”

“You are the one sleeping on the door.”

“I’m not sleeping. I’m merely resting my eyes. I’ve been told that Princes don’t sleep around.” Nico and Reyna widen their eyes, before Lord William realizes what he’s said. “Fuck, I didn’t mean it like that. Hell, not fuck. Gods. I’m a monster.”

Nico snorts. “Are you sure you don’t need sleep?”

“Don’t steal my line,” Lord William replies.

Someone behind Lord William clears their throat. “Your Highness, the bath is ready for you.” It’s just a servant girl, but the fact that she is probably going to undress Lord William makes Nico’s blood flow faster, and not in a pleasant way.

“Where have you even been until now?” Nico asks.

Lord William brightens immediately. “I’ve seen the-how do you call them? The small horses.”

Nico raises an eyebrow. “Ponies?”

Reyna clears her throat. “I think he means the colts. They were born two days ago.”

Nico tilts his head to the side, raising his eyebrow. “So while I was here, bent on this papers, you were petting colts?”

Lord William turns to the girl. “Oh, hear that, my bath is getting cold.”

“Not to worry, Your-”

He interrupts her. “No, no. Let’s go.”

He closes the door behind himself, and Nico shakes his head. “Gods. He really is a child.”

Reyna tilts her head to the side. Under her inquisitor gaze, heat rises on Nico’s cheeks.

“What?” He asks.

Reyna shrugs. “Nothing. But I think you should get a bath, too.”

Nico raises his arm. After smelling his armpit, he can’t help but agree with her. For a moment, he has a strange thought. Should he use Lord William’s water? Should he use it while Lord William is still in it? The thought leaves him dizzy and hot all over.

“Are you alright?” Reyna asks.

Nico clears his throat. “You were saying something about tea with my Father in the afternoon. How do you think I should introduce the matter?”

Reyna purses her lips. “I wish I knew. The more I think about it, the more I think we’ll need a new crown prince.” Blood drains from Nico’s face, and she bursts out laughing. “I’m sorry. Honestly, I’ve thought about it, and-your Father isn’t a bad person. He doesn’t want you to feel stuck in a marriage you don’t want. Explain him your reasons. Keep calm, don’t shout.” When Nico opens his mouth, she raises her finger. “Even if he starts.”

Nico makes an outraged sound. “I’m not a child.”

Reyna raises the corner of her mouth. “I know. But you have never learnt how to deal with your emotions.”

Nico sighs, before nodding. “You aren’t so wrong.” His thoughts go to the fights with Lord William. Would they not have happened, if he had learnt how to express his feelings? Well, it’s too late now. The realization makes him squirm.

“Thank you. Now have a good night’s sleep. I already have a bath ready for you.”

Nico blinks. “When did you call the servants?”

“You took a nap. Don’t think I didn’t notice. Now off you go.”

Lord William is sitting on the armchair when Nico gets out of bed. He has his nightclothes on, and his arms are crossed loosely on his chest. His eyes are glassy, and the whole picture is kind of adorable. Or it would be, if only sir Sherman weren’t with him.

Tension falls on the room like a blanket. Lord William straightens, and gives Nico a tentative smile.

“Your Highness,” he says.

Nico’s heart does that strange thing again, and a new fear comes to him. It makes him freeze. Then he turns, and glares at sir Sherman.

“I see Hedge still hasn’t given you new shifts.”

“We’ve been back for less than two hours, Your Highness,” sir Sherman says. He gives Nico a tight lip ped smile, and Nico returns it immediately.

“Have you ever mucked the stables, sir Sherman?”

Sir Sherman blinks. “Mucked… the stables?”

Nico nods. “It’ll surely teach you to let royalty sleep at night, instead of throwing yourself in their –on their sofas.”

Lord William raises his eyebrow, his face grows more serious. Sir Sherman stands, then bows before Nico. He mumbles something before fleeing the room.

Nico turns to Lord William, raising both his eyebrows. Lord William tilts his head to the side. Nico bites his lip.

“So, you two got back to your habits as soon as you arrived.”

Lord William changes expression fast. A million emotions pass through his eyes, all in one second, and Nico can’t read any of them.

Nico clears his throat, and Lord William bites his lip, and Nico wonders if it is as soft as it looks, and as sweet as he imagines it to be. The thought leaves Nico dizzy.

“Why don’t you trust me?”

Nico blinks. “What?” That’s not what he was expecting.

“Why don’t you trust me?”

The sky is dark. While Nico was bathing, a strong wind from the east has brought clouds on Caere. They cover the stars, leaving the lit candles and the fireplace as the only source of light.

So the light dances on Lord William’s golden skin. He looks way healthier than he did just a week ago, and that’s saying something since tiredness has given him dark circles under his eyes.

Nico struggles to find words to say. Maybe it’s for the surprise, or maybe it’s for the warm thing in his chest every time he looks at Lord William.

“I don’t know.”

Even Nico can see the disappointment on Lord William’s face, and he wishes to wipe it away. He wishes he knew how.

“You know. Just –why can’t you tell me?”

The words hurt Nico even as he pronounces them. “Because I don’t trust you.”

The floor seems to sway under Nico’s feet, as he reaches the sofa. Sir Sherman has left it warm, and Nico finds it unbearable. Still, it’s the closest he can get to Lord William.

Nico puts his elbows on the armrest, and puts his chin on his closed fists. He looks at Lord William, and he doesn’t really understand how they got to this point.

Lord William scoffs, but his eyes are wet with tears. “Shall I ask you why?”

Nico almost laughs, too. “I wish I knew.”

“I have two options.” He raises a finger. “First, you know and don’t want to tell me.” He raises a second finger. “Second, you really don’t know, so you can’t tell me.” Lord William leaves his hand in the air for some minutes, before dropping it, as though it is that of a dead. “Look at me in the eyes, and tell me.”

And Nico does it, like some dog who’d do anything for a treat. _I really don’t know._

Lord William nods. “Sometimes, I forget I don’t know you enough to differentiate between your lies and your truths.”

For a moment, Nico wishes Lord William were in his body, and saw everything as Nico does. The thought frightens him. If Lord William saw more of his soul, he would see how rotten he is.

“I-do you ever think we are stuck in a wheel?” Lord William asks. He leans forward, and moves his hands like Nico does when he is passionate about something. “We don’t talk, avoid each other, and those hours feel like centuries. As soon as we talk, we start shouting and fighting. Maybe –I don’t know. Usually, in this situation people talk.”

“Always ends badly for us, doesn’t it?”

Lord William makes a gesture with his hands, which Nico takes for an agreement. The hem of his shirt raises, and Nico really doesn’t want to stare at the uncovered golden skin.

“I don’t know how to keep this conversation going,” Lord William admits.

Nico wishes Lord William would look at him in the eyes, even if he can’t read them. “I don’t know where it’s going.”

Lord William finally meets his eyes. “I’ve talked to my mother about –actually it was Daphne– about the divorce.”

“Did it help?”

“It made me think.”

“About what?”

“I don’t want to talk about it with other people. I want to talk about it with you. It’s-” Lord William gestures between them. “It’s between us. It’s our marriage. Not theirs.”

Nico swallows bitter saliva. “It might start a war. It’s not just between us.”

“How we deal with it is. How -you’re not making this any easier for me, you know?” Lord William falls against the chair back. “I don’t know how to say this.”

“I don’t think it’s supposed to be easy. Everyone would do it if it were.”

“Not every marriage ends like ours.”

Nico shrugs. “Yeah. But it still sucks.”

Lord William snorts a laugh. “It would suck a bit less if there were some sort of guide.”

“Listen, when –like when we got lost, you remember?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget, I thought we would die.”

Nico huffs. “You have a lot of faith in me, Lord William.”

“Your Father would have dragged me out of the Underworld to kill me for having you killed.”

Nico raises his hand. “Yeah, but the council would have thanked you.”

When Lord William smiles, cracks form at the corner of his eyes. “Can I tell you something, without you getting offended?”

Nico takes a deep breath. “Kill me, Lord William.”

Lord William’s smile beams, and it’s easy to forget that they’re talking of ending their marriage. “I like that the council doesn’t like you. It means that you’re a good person.”

Nico can’t breathe for a moment. It’s not something he ever thought would make him feel so much. He is loyal to the crown, and to his kingdom. He wants to tell Lord William so many things, about how his mother has been the first to not-be-liked by the council, for her ideas, and that’s why they were banished to the countryside.

Instead, his eyes start burning. That’s the best compliment he’s ever received.

Lord William looks at Nico through his eyelashes. “Your-?”

Nico interrupts him. “Thank you. That’s-that’s a really kind thing to say. You told me you’ve seen my soul, because you’ve healed me, right? Well, I don’t need to see your soul. You’re a good person. Even if we don’t work together as husbands.”

Lord William looks as taken aback from Nico as Nico himself feels. So Nico clears his throat, and looks at the door, planning his escape.

“By the way,” Lord William says, his voice a bit chocked. “Next time you try to feed me your ‘I’m such a bad person’ bullshit, I’ll remind you of this conversation.”

Despite himself and the tension still on him, Nico laughs. After a moment, Lord William joins him. Nico rests his head against the cushions. His hands drop, they are so close to Lord William’s. If either of them stretched their fingers, they would be touching.

“So, what do we do now, All Knowing Prince?” Lord William asks.

“I should have you thrown in the dungeons for that.”

“We’ve been over that already. You won’t hurt me.”

“If you’d seen me during the war, you would think the opposite.”

Lord William tilts his head to the side. “I’ve seen you during the war. I’ve seen you coming from the shadows, with the army of the dead, as your Father arrived with thousands of soldiers to help us. You saved us.”

“I’ve done things I never should have done.”

“So have I. So has everyone. The people we see every day… they were fairly different during the war.”

“Yes, but they weren’t bad.”

“We aren’t bad because we won. If we’d been defeated, Kronos would have been the revolutionist who raised from the past, and saved the present and the future, and we would have been the tyrants who wanted to stop him.”

“Sometimes –I can’t help but think, Lord William, that maybe Kronos wasn’t wrong. I mean –I shouldn’t have said that. I-I really don’t think that.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell a soul. Really.”

“That’s-do you swear it upon your life?”

Lord William tilts his head to the side. “I think –I think we should start trusting each other more. I can’t talk about these things with anyone else.”

Nico looks at him from behind his eyelashes. “Not even sir Sherman?”

“He really is the last person I would go to for advices about the council.”

It really shouldn’t be easy for Lord William to make Nico’s heart skip a bit.

Nico bites his lip. “I like talking like this. But we usually end up shouting.”

“Well, you’ve got a point. I’m too tired to fight, right now.”

“You should have a running marathon every night through the castle. I’m sure it would improve our conversations.”

“Last time I saw you doing any sport, the snow was still falling.”

“I train with swordfight every day.”

“Swinging swords around isn’t a sport. I refuse to admit that.”

“You are lucky I’m tired too, or I’d show you what my swinging sword can do.”

Lord William has the audacity of laughing. “As you wish, darling.”

Nico rolls his eyes, ignoring the blush creeping up his cheeks.

Lord William clears his throat. In the golden light of the flames, his cheeks are red, too. “So, we didn’t decide what to do.”

Nico takes a deep breath. The candles smell of lavender, and nostalgia takes over him as he thinks of Delphi. “I really don’t know. Reyna has many ideas, but she has never been through something like this either, and-”

“I meant between the two of us.” Lord William focuses his gaze on his sleeves of his shirt, his fingers play with a white strand.

Nico wishes he could speak, think of something beyond the bumping in his chest, but it’s hard to do when his mind is so blank. So it is Lord William who speaks again.

“What about a truce, Your Highness?”

“A truce? Between us?” Nico gestures the us with his hands, as though there were someone else in the room. “Easier said than done.”

“We’ve just had a very long conversation with very little shouting. And so have we done in Delphi.”

“What if we fight, and we get angry? What do we do?”

Lord William stays silent for a moment, which to Nico feels like eternity. “Maybe we should learn not to fight, when we are disagreeing about something. Just-” he makes a gesture with his hand, which Nico finds both useless and strange, yet it makes something old and warm open in him. “Just talk. Then, I mean, we can fight, too. Sometimes.”

Nico sighs. “I can already tell you are going to make me go crazy.”

Lord William bites his lip. “I didn’t know you were an oracle, in your free time.”

Nico refrains from showing him his middle finger, just because he can be a nice person. He rubs his eyes, tiredness washing over him. “We shouldn’t still be up.”

Lord William shrugs. “I don’t think I’ll have much sleep tonight.”

“You’ve gotten used to having me in your bed?” The words leave Nico’s mouth before he registers them. Heat spreads on his body, his hand freezes on his eye.

“Yes, I’ll really miss your snoring.”

“I don’t –you are a liar. I could have you beheaded for such a monstrous lie.”

“You’re right, you don’t snore.”

“Thank you.”

“You just cause earthquakes.”

Nico gasps. “You are a hypocrite.”

Lord William shrugs. “I said what I said, and I’m not taking it back.”

“I’m sorry to have thought you had a harem of lovers, you’re right. They couldn’t stand your snoring.”

Lord William snorts. “Glad it was my snoring who convinced you, instead of my telling you over and over again.”

“You also told me you and sir Sherman make love.”

“I was angry. I didn’t think before talking. I wanted to show you how stupid the things you said were.”

“I really hate that man.”

Lord William shrugs. “He was friends with my brothers. That’s why Clarisse has sent him here.”

Nico sighs. He cracks his hands, shaking his head. “I’ll try not to hate him as much.”

“Thank you.”

Lord William’s eyes have turned so soft, Nico must look away, or he’ll bursts into tears. He clears his throat.

“We should get some sleep. We can talk some more tomorrow.”

“Goodnight,” Lord William says, standing. Nico does the same, but when he reaches his door, he turns to steal a last glance.

Nico catches Lord William staring. He nods his head in goodbye, Lord William responds with a half smile.

Mud stains Will’s knees. He looks up, to find Prince Nico watching him with a raised eyebrow, as he bites his lip. Will fights against every instinct to raise his eyes from the Prince’s mouth.

“One would wonder what you were doing kneeling in the mud,” Prince Nico says. He clasps his hands behind his back, and Will doesn’t watch at all the way his muscles flex.

“Uh, I was, um.” Will gestures to the colts behind him, heat spreads on his cheeks.

Lady Reyna narrows her eyes. “Were you petting the colts, Your Highness?”

Nico opens his mouth, faked indignation on his face. “My, Lord William. You were procrastinating your duties, only to pet colts?” He puts his hand on his throat, looking around as though someone might hear him.

Will rolls his eyes. “Don’t use such long words, Your Highness. Intelligence doesn’t suit you.”

Prince Nico gasps. “You are –I will have you beheaded.”

“We’ve been over that,” Will responds. “We both know you won’t.”

Lady Reyna clears her throat. “Maybe you should tell him why we’re here, Your Highness.”

“I’m here for the colts,” Prince Nico says, crossing his arms on his chest.

Lady Reyna sighs, before turning to Will. “A storm is coming. The meteorologists say it’ll be the last before the summer, which also means if you stay in the stables, you won’t be able to go back to the castle.”

“Is it going to be so bad?” Will asks.

“The stable boys are already leaving. It may last until the next morning. If we don’t leave now, we’ll need to sleep in here.”

Prince Nico turns to her with widened eyes. “But you said I could watch the colts.”

Will would find his expression ridiculous, if only it didn’t melt something inside of his chest.

Reyna sighs. “I can’t give you more than five minutes.” She turns to Will. “I have to go, I need to help Hedge with the guards’ shifts for the summer. Can I trust you to bring him back in one piece to the castle, before the storm comes?”

Will nods. “Of course.”

Reyna’s eyes dart between the two of them. “I want you both in the castle before one single rain drop falls. Am I clear?”

They both need to nod, before she leaves them. Still, she sends them death glares all the way out.

“She worries too much,” Prince Nico says, sitting cross legged on the ground. He pets the colt’s black hair.

Will sits close enough for their knees to brush, and rests his back against the wooden wall. “I’ve never seen an Aitean storm.”

Nico shrugs, keeping his eyes on the colt. “They are just stronger storms. The one we’ve seen in Delphi, but with more thunders and bolts. There’s nothing to fear for those in the castle.”

“Where do homeless people go?”

“In the northern Cathedral. The guards have been collecting them all day.”

Will lets his eyes wander in the stables. They are sitting in the small cubicle of the newly born colt, with hay and mud under their asses. As in the other places where the candles aren’t allowed, the light comes from the sun’s gems. Orange and yellow, they are only found in Delphi. They’ve been the biggest part of Will’s dowry. In Aita they are rare, only rich people have them. Will used them to play with his brothers in Delphi.

Prince Nico follows Will’s gaze to the ceiling. “They won’t work during the storm. Neither will my powers, probably. If I shadow traveled, I couldn’t control my destination.”

“Is it true that it rains shadow?”

Prince Nico snorts. “Who told you that?”

“I read it somewhere.”

“Was it Hazel?”

“Yeah.”

Prince Nico shakes his head, causing a strand of dark hair to fall on his cheekbone. “Of course. Well, it isn’t true.”

“Then what makes it so special?”

“First of all, we can’t use our powers.”

Will wipes emotions from his face. “Isn’t that just crazy.”

The Prince tilts his head to the side, watching Will from behind his eyelashes. “Careful, Lord William. One might scream betrayal.”

“Scream all you want, I don’t see anyone nearby. Seriously, I don’t understand why we are so scared of them.”

The Prince raises a finger for every point of his list. “Let’s see. The rivers overflow. The rain is so violent, our harvest would be wiped right off, if we didn’t have magic. Oh, and don’t forget that the rain is so dense, if you walked in it, you wouldn’t see your nose.”

Will leans forward. “But we have magic.”

Prince Nico hits his shoulder to shove him away. “You’re an idiot. If our magic fell, we would be doomed.”

“Has it ever?”

“Yes!”

Will stays silent for a moment. “Well, now I’m scared.”

“Thank you.”

“Shouldn’t we get back to the palace?”

“Just one more-”

A thunder covers Prince Nico’s next words. He and Will share a look, before they both sprint to the stable doors.

The rain is so thick, Will can’t see much beyond it. He barely contains a shiver, but before he realizes it, his teeth are chattering.

Prince Nico turns to him, biting his lips. “I think we maybe be stuck.”

Will almost growls. “You think so?”

Prince Nico crosses his arms on his chest, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s not my fault. You had to get me back to the castle.”

“I’m your husband, not your keeper-”

“But what is Lady Reyna going to think?”

“That you’re an ass of a prince, who-” Will stops, wiping a hand on his face. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be.”

Will bounces his foot. “I shouldn’t have said you were an ass.”

“That wasn’t nice, yeah.”

Will raises his eyes, only to find the Prince looking at him with an expression he can’t quite understand.

“Are you scared, Lord William?”

“Of course not. It’s just a little rain.” Will huffs, turning to the outside. He scratches the back of his neck, finding it hard to swallow. “I mean. It’s not like it’s so thick we can’t get back to the palace.” Prince Nico raises his eyebrows, and Will bites his cheek. “Why do we keep getting in these situations? First Delphi, now this. It’s like the gods are trying to tell us something.”

“And what may that be?”

“That we should stay inside, where fireplaces and other comforts are.”

For a moment, Will thinks Prince Nico is sick, for his face turns red, and he furrows his eyebrows on his eyes. Then his mouth opens wide, and his hand shots up to cover it, but it can’t cover the sounds escaping.

As he laughs, his face seems to turn younger. When Will first met Nico, Princess Bianca was still alive. Nico was many things, that loss, war and the crown upon his head seem to have wiped away, but now Will sees it. Those things haven’t gone away, they are just hidden somewhere deep.

A part of Will wants to find them all. It frightens him to no end.

Will clears his throat. “I suppose we’ll die if we stay here in the cold.”

Nico nods, his laugh quiets down. They walk back to the colt. So far from the doors, Will’s teeth stop chattering, but the cold has reached his bones. He sits in the hay, Prince Nico close by. The colt rests its head on Will’s lap.

Prince Nico hugs his knees to his chest, resting his head on his crossed arms, he looks at Will. “When I lived in Venice, I was caught outside during the storm.”

Will tilts his head to the side. “So, is it some kind of tradition?”

Prince Nico smiles. “I was with my sister that year. Bianca, that is. It was actually my fault, that we were still outside. I had this really weird obsession for a card game, and I brought those cards everywhere.” As he speaks, he moves his hands in the air, sitting straight. Will can’t tear his eyes away from him. “And we had convinced our Father to give us a tree house –actually, my mother had convinced him, she wanted it as much as we did– and Bianca and I went there to escape our tutors. One day, I forgot my cards on there. I was locked in my rooms before the storm started, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing them-”

“Wait, they locked you in your room?”

“Yeah. They really did know me, didn’t they?” Will laughs, while Prince Nico tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. As always, his hair is in a ponytail, and as always it has mostly escaped it. “Anyway. I was young, and underestimated the storm, so I shadow traveled to the tree house. Going there was no problem, but I couldn’t gather enough shadows to go back in my rooms. Then my sister stepped right out of the shadows. Even she couldn’t travel back, and she gave me an earful. Like, for a moment I thought of jumping off the tree.”

Will snorts. “Even time can’t change some things.”

The Prince shakes his head. “Thank you for being the worst listener in the history of storytelling.”

“That’s not true.”

“Are you accusing me of being a liar, Lord William?”

“Yes, now please, do go on.”

“As you wish. We stayed there until morning, and we had to hug all night to not die of hypothermia. I will admit, I can see why people are afraid of the storm. There were ghosts dancing under the rain.” Fear comes clear on Will’s face, the Prince’s eyes widen. “But they didn’t hurt us!”

Will hugs the colt closer. “It’s literally giving me chills.”

Prince Nico shakes his head again. “Lord William. I’m the Ghost King. They won’t hurt us here, nor anywhere.” As he moves his hand, the sun gems’ warm light is caught on his ring.

“Promise me?”

“Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Stick a needle in my eye.”

“Yeah, I won’t say that. It sounds awful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like more than six hundred people read this story, and i know most have probably only read the first three words, but it's still crazy if i think of it. anyway, i know it starts sounding like begging, but comments are really motivating, so leave one if you have anything to say, or any emoji to show


	8. listen, you'll hear my heartbeat echo yours

And so the night passes. Hidden in a warm bed of hay –“It’s basically a fort, Your Highness” “We’ve seen very different forts, Lord William.”– the Princes of Aita lay touching from shoulder to hip, to keep each other –and the colt– alive.

With every thunder, the sun gems’ light flicker. Lord William is the most afraid out of the two, so Nico talks. He is not used to it.

“You know, before Queen Persephone, the King’s, or Queen’s, consort was only that, a consort, so they were called princes or princesses.”

“Was it Queen Persephone who changed it?” Lord William asks. As he moves his hand to put it on his neck, the hay brushes on itself with a song of whispers.

“Kind of. Before they got engaged, she told my Father she would never be his subordinate. He had to choose, between sharing his crown and finding another woman.”

“He chose well.”

“Yeah. They’re –they’re happy together.” Other words seem to hang between them, and Nico wants to wipe them away. He does. He tries. “They work as partners. They love each other like someone who’s married should do.”

Lord William has the audacity of snickering. “You can say it. We don’t work together as husbands. But we were friends, before the wedding. Weren’t we?”

Heat creeps up on Nico’s neck and chin. “I think so.”

“We can be friends. Even after the-” Lord William gestures with his hands, and the hay whispers again. “The divorce.”

“What would people think?”

“They’ll start talking from the moment we make it official, no matter what we say or do. However we handle it, they’ll talk.”

Nico snorts. “They’ll be happy for you.”

“Why would they? You are the future king.”

“But I’m _me_. If you had been married to Hazel, they would just think you two don’t work. Since it’s me, they’ll think I have been torturing you for these past few months.”

“We know the truth. If I ever hear of anyone saying such things, I’ll tell them the truth.”

“They won’t believe you.”

“You are a good person. In time, they’ll see the truth.”

Nico stays silent for a moment. It feels like someone has put a weigh on his stomach. He searches in Lord William’s blue eyes, but he cannot see any lie, any shadow.

“Do you really believe it?” Nico asks.

“Of course. We may be asking for a divorce, but it’s not because we are bad people. It’s just-”

“That we don’t work together. Please, Lord William, repeat it. I may have not heard you the first six hundred times.”

Lord William shakes his head. “You’re such-”

“An ass.”

“I wasn’t going to stay that.”

Nico raises his eyebrows, and Lord William huffs.

“I’m sorry, All Knowing Prince. I won’t bore you anymore with my words. Tell me something.”

“Something.”

“Gods. How long did you say it’ll take for the storm to end?”

Nico laughs, as Lord William bites his cheek. Nico is more than proud to see that his skin is covered in freckles, little dots on his –once again– golden complexion.

“You know the first time we met, during the war, I was-”

“It wasn’t the first time.” When Nico furrows his eyebrows, Lord William explains, “The first time was just before the war. You were brought to Camp Half Blood by my father, Princess Thalia and Prince Perseus. We didn’t know you were the Prince of Aita, you introduced yourself as Nico.”

“Are you sure? I don’t remember.”

“I am. You were covered in blood and mud. I helped my brother Lee healing you. We weren’t sure you’d survive, and you woke up as I was putting stitches in your leg.”

“That was you?”

“Yeah.”

“Weren’t you crying?”

“It wasn’t every day that a boy woke up as I was stitching him up, to scream at me that I’d ruined his cards!”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t nice, with blood and mud covering me-”

“We had washed you!”

“You had what?”

“Again, I didn’t steal your virtue-”

“You can’t undress and wash the Prince of Aita-”

“Is that a challenge?”

Nico’s jaw hangs open, heat creeps on him again. In the orange light, Lord William flushes, too. Unlike Nico, he also laughs. The colt looks between them, raising his head from Lord William’s lap, and huffs.

“What a _southern_ you are,” Nico says.

“There you go with the prejudices again. Please, tell me how bad my witch friends are.”

“I don’t think that they are bad, just-”

“That witchcraft is?”

“It’s not bad. It’s –it’s dangerous.”

“So are your powers. So are mine.”

“You’re a healer.”

“Because I choose to heal. I could curse an arrow with a pestilence, and kill hundreds of people.”

Nico stays silent for a moment. “Then why don’t you?”

“Why don’t you steal the light of the sun with your shadows?”

“We need the sun, we’d die without it.”

“Yeah. People would die. That’s why I don’t start pandemics.”

“But how do we know witches won’t use their powers against us?”

“They are your subjects. Just like everybody else.”

“My subjects hate me.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Oh, please enlighten me, Lord William.”

“Well, Your _Highness_ , it is true that some subjects dislike you, but not every one of them. There are no riots, no dolls with your face on it burned in the squares. When you’ll be king, they’ll be grateful.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, because you’ve seen the war, and you don’t want it again. You’d do anything to keep your subjects safe.”

“You think too highly of me.”

“I don’t think so.”

Nico snorts. “Yeah, sure.”

“When you are thirty-five, ten years after your coronation, people will have enough proof to know what a good king you are. I’ll rise again to come here, and tell you _I told you so._ ”

“Rise again? Do you plan on dying before you reach thirty-five?”

Lord William narrows his eyes. “Is that what you want to focus on?”

Nico shakes his head. “You’re such a sop.”

“Come now, you said you’d tell me something. Say something again, and I’ll make sure you don’t get out of these stables.”

“I am trembling, Lord William. Trembling. Do you want to know about the time I met Reyna?”

The storm quiets down slowly. It stops raining after midday, and Will follows Prince Nico through a secret passageway to the castle. They sneak in their suite, hay in their hair, cheeks flushed, both laughing.

In their suite, they swear secrecy. If anyone knew they weren’t inside during the storm, they’d never hear the end of it.

Not long later the King bursts in the room, Queen Persephone close behind, with matching expression that tell Will it isn’t the hay in their hair that gave them away.

As the King sits silently, the Queen shouts at Nico. He is a Prince, he must have the good of his people –such as Prince William– as his first priority, he has duties and responsibilities.

“And really, I expected better from both of you,” she concludes, hands on her hips, staring down at the two boys. “As romantic as a night in the stables can be, you are Princes of Aita. Your image is the image of the kingdom. What would the other kingdoms say if it was known, that the future Kings have been making love between the horses, while the kingdom suffered one of the worst storms of the last ten years?”

Prince Nico gasps. “We didn’t –we haven’t– Persephone, gods!”

Will waves his hand before his face, but he doesn’t feel any less hot. Is that what everyone thinks? That they’ve been making love? Gods. Gods. He needs a drink. He needs to remember that Prince Nico is his husband –for now– and it’s not unusual for people to jump to that conclusion.

The Queen leans forward, smiling like a serpent. “Well, Nico. I know what I would have done with your father if I had your age and a night in the stables. Let’s not lie to each other.”

Prince Nico’s eyes dart between the Queen and the King. “Father!” is all he can say.

The King makes a gesture, as if to say _what can we do?_ , and the Prince shakes his head. Disbelief is written clear on his features, his whole face has turned red.

Will bumps his knee against the Prince’s, raising his eyebrows. The Prince seems to be shaken out of a trance, startling awake after a long sleep. His cheeks turn redder.

“Yes. Well. It won’t happen again,” the Prince says.

“Of course it won’t,” the King says. His voice is deep, and as he speaks the shadows lean to him, as if begging to be used. “Because if it does happen again, if you two so much as get out of my sight, I will make sure you are never _ever_ left alone, with guards always behind your backs. Am I understood?”

“Understood,” Prince Nico grumbles, sinking a bit in his seat.

It’s a strange sight to see. Prince Nico is not easily put back in line, he is Prince and isn’t afraid of using that as a tactic. Often, he uses it on guards –such as sir Sherman– and courtiers. Rarely on the council’s members. Seeing him so put down makes something old rot inside Will. It’s just not right.

Will realizes a second later that the King is looking at him.

“But if we’d tried to get back to the castle, we would have gotten lost in the storm, Your Majesty,” Will says.

The King’s eyebrows slowly rise. Shadows creep down from the walls, moving to Will’s feet. “You shouldn’t have been out so little before the storm.”

Prince Nico’s body stiffens. “Are you using your shadows to threaten him?”

“Of course not,” the King spats. He stands, and the shadows retreat, faster than before. He gives them one, last, hard look, and storms out of the room. His black cloak brushes against the marbles, whispering as the hay has done, when Prince Nico and Will moved.

The Queen sighs. “Must you two always fight?” She asks the Prince. She crosses her arms on her chest, tilting her head to the side. “He was worried about you.”

“He has a very interesting way of showing it,” Prince Nico responds.

The Queen smiles again, this time softer and kinder, as the spring people say she brings. “Yes, you two have that in common.”

A frown adorns Prince Nico’s perfect lips, and he crosses his arms tighter. The Queen leaves, squeezing Will’s shoulder as she passes behind him. When the door shuts behind her, tension lifts from Will’s shoulder.

He throws his head back against the cushions. “That could have gone worse.”

“Don’t talk like that to my Father,” the Prince responds. “Even if this _good person_ bullshit works on me, you have no idea in what way he could punish you.”

Will raises an eyebrow. “My Father would move to war if yours did anything to harm me.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Was yours?”

Prince Nico shakes his head. During the night, his ponytail has fallen off. “Don’t push your luck.”

Will sits straighter. “You are my friend.”

“So what?”

“So I wouldn’t threaten you. It was a reassurance. You needn’t worry. Your Father won’t hurt me.”

Prince Nico sighs, leaning back. “Whatever you wish.”

As the Prince turns, Will is offered the sight of the muscle of his neck, and his hard jawline. He drinks in it.

The days grow hotter. They seem to go by uneventful, yet the Princes always have something to talk about. When they don’t, or they don’t want to, they discover the pleasure of sitting in silence. Once or twice, they find themselves on the northern tower of the walls. It has been attacked by the giants during the first war, so many years ago almost no memory is left of that day, and a giant has stolen the roof.

They lay on their back, and point at the clouds. The second time, Hazel joins them.

Something they learn is how much Hazel and Lord William have in common. They treat others kindly, their first response rarely is violence. Prince Nico would feel a little left out, if it weren’t for how much he enjoys both their companies.

“If we are good people and we both like you, then you must be a good person, too,” Lord William will later tell him, when neither of them can sleep, so they spend their time on the sofa.

Lord William grows healthier by the day. Often, Prince Nico finds him smiling to himself. One day, they are lazing on their balcony.

Prince Nico is taking the thorns off a red rose, stolen from the Queen’s gardens. Prince William’s feet are under his armpit, as they lay on the different ends of a chaise lounge.

“What are you drawing?” Prince Nico asks.

The sun shines bright behind Lord William, and when he raises his head its rays crown him. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

_Your smile is brighter than the sun,_ Prince Nico wants to say. Tears burn behind his eyes. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

“I’m drawing you.”

Nico’s breath is caught in his throat, as something warm blossoms in his chest. His surprise only amuses Lord William, as it often happens. That must be the reason Lord William so often does such things.

“Why?”

Lord William shakes his head, going back to his drawing. “Because you are a Prince, who has left his crown behind, is sitting right in front of me, and has a rose in his hands, looking at it with such fascination, one would think he has never seen a rose before. Face it, Your Highness. You are beautiful to draw.”

Nico would like to respond, and he would, if he could find anything to say. _I would draw you too, if I knew how._ But Prince Perseus and Lady Annabeth appear in front of them, in the shape of an Iris Message.

“What are you two even doing?” Prince Perseus asks, tilting his head, as Lady Annabeth greets them.

“What are _you_ doing,” Lord William retorts. Despite his words, the mock with which he pronounces them, he sits up. He taps on Nico’s ribs until he too sits, but with a groan and a much less joyous expression.

“Well, how can we not feel welcome with the two of you,” Percy says. His hands are intertwined with Annabeth’s, their joy isn’t lost in the communication. It feels like third-wheeling, even if Lord William and Nico are married, too.

“Yeah, we do our best to keep intruders away,” Nico says. Lord William elbows him in the ribs.

“So, any tips on married life?” Annabeth asks.

Lord William and Nico share a look. The divorce is becoming sort of a joke, now. Nico doesn’t know when it’s happened, and it isn’t a recurring thing. It’s a sometimes thing. Usually, when they speak late at night, or when they fall asleep on the sofa and wake up in the morning, the word weighs heavy on them both, choking the conversations, even if one so much as thinks it.

Now, they look at each other and barely keep a smile in.

“Well, it takes some unexpected turns,” Nico says. Lord William bites his cheek, but it can’t hide his smile.

“So, do you want to know why we’ve called you?” Percy asks.

“No.”

“Of course!”

One can understand who says what. They both elbow each other, ending up getting hurt even more.

“May the people sing of Aita’s future kings,” Lady Annabeth comments.

“So, we have a date!” Percy exclaims, raising his and Annabeth’s hands.

Nico smiles, before realizing it he is giving them his congratulations. He isn’t even annoyed by Lord William’s own excitement, which he would find extra and fake on anyone else. Lord William gestures with his hands as he talks, fresh air reaches Nico’s face, as does his husband’s perfume.

Nico breathes deeply, the muscle of his face relax. His smile fades, into an expression he has never worn before.

“Will you want a gift?” Lord William asks.

“We can recycle that thing they gave us,” Nico responds.

“Don’t love us too much, we may become spoilt,” Percy says.

Lord William shakes his head. “We can get them jewelry.”

“Jewelry?”

“I like jewelry.”

Nico snorts. “You also like carrots.”

“Why do you make it sound like an insult?”

“Because it’s carrots.”

Lord William shakes his head, before turning to Annabeth and Percy. “Tell me you heard it too and I’m not having visions.” He turns back to Nico, moving his hands in the air. “Tell me you eat carrots regularly.”

“We’ve been living together for months-”

“And I’ve never seen you eating them. Gods. Gods, it was right before my eyes, for all this time.”

“So we agree that it is your fault.”

“You are-”

“An ass.”

“I see you are on the same page,” Percy intervenes, clasping his hands. “Well, then. Will you save the date?”

Lord William and Nico turn to each other. And now Nico wonders again. Will Lord William still be with him by then? What if Lord William has already moved on by then, and is there with someone else? The thought hits Nico like a slap, and it shouldn’t feel like this. He is happy for Lord William. He will be happy for Lord William. As of now something green and rotten inside of him is battling with the warm blossoming in his chest, whenever he looks at Lord William.

“Of course we will,” Lord William responds. He sees the expression on Nico’s face, and elbows him. “Won’t we, darling?”

Nico grits his teeth. “Of course.”

As he looks at Lord William, something strange happens to his stomach. He still hasn’t seen the court physician, but it’s turning annoying, and it happens far more often than it should.

Reyna greets Nico with a cup of tea. Nico doesn’t refuse it, although it is so hot outside, that he really doesn’t need it. He sits at the round table on the balcony. From here, he can see part of the lower city. If they were higher, he could see his and Lord William’s quarters.

“It’s been quite some time since we’ve last been together,” Reyna says, sitting next to him. She puts her bare feet on the chair in front of her, sinking in her seat. “What brings you here?”

Nico shrugs. “I was thinking.”

“Must be a first for you.”

Nico elbows her in the ribs, stealing her a laugh. “I was thinking of Lady Lou Ellen.”

“Lou Ellen? Hecate’s child?”

“Do you know her?”

“A bit. I know she is friends with both your husband and your sister. They would tell you more than I can.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t want to know more about how awesome she is. I want to know if she’s dangerous.”

“Everyone is dangerous.”

“Some people more than others.”

“She isn’t.” Nico raises his eyebrow, and she continues, “Not to the crown, to the throne, or to Prince William and Princess Hazel. Why are you asking me now?”

“The council wants to approve some laws, about witches and witchcraft.”

“You don’t agree with them?”

Nico shrugs. “I don’t really know. They are the council. The know what’s better for the kingdom.”

“Did they know what was better, when they chose not to go to war?”

“I lead people to their death.”

“Death was the price to pay for freedom. If Kronos had won against Zeus and Poseidon, what would he have done to us? He wouldn’t have killed us. We would be in chains now.”

Nico sighs. His mouth tastes of chamomile, and he rubs his hand on his forehead. “My sister is a witch. Even if she doesn’t practice witchcraft. She is a good person.”

“So are many other witches.”

“I’m not a witch. How can I speak of them? For them? What if I say things which aren’t true?”

“Then you need to learn, so you know what is true and what isn’t.”

“The laws are about not allowing witchcraft. Their history will be erased.”

“Do you need to be a witch to say if that is right or wrong?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“How do I stop it from happening?”

“You need votes.” 

“We don’t have enough time. They’ll decide next week.”

“Then you need the King’s.”

“Except that this week I’m also telling him I’m getting a divorce.”

“Then wait another week. Give him something to be happy about, then ask.”

Blood drains from Nico’s face. “There’s only one thing that would make him happy.”

“I know.”

“I can’t do it. Lord William –what good would it do? Tell him I want to look for a surrogate, and a week later tell him to start looking for other suitors?”

“You always knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Nico rests his head back, closing his eyes. “I know.” Only, his mind if full of images.

Kids with dark hair and blue eyes look at him, with such hope a new type of guilt is placed on his shoulders.

“I read that Delphi’s University will open again in just a few weeks,” Nico continues. “Would it be too late for Lord William to enroll?”

“It’s never too late for princes.”

“He won’t be for much longer.”

“He has a new status, now that he’s been married to you. People will want him, if only for the secrets he knows. About the kingdom, its economy, the King, you.”

In his heart, Nico hopes Lord William won’t say a thing about him. He knows it’s impossible. If not for his status as Prince of Aita, why would anyone want Nico?

Nico takes a deep breath. If he closes his eyes, he can still see the days he has spent with Lord William and his brother Michael when they were sixteen. He can mistake the salt on his lips for that of the sea, instead of his own sweat.

“Can you have the cottage ready for Hazel?” he asks.

“Of course.”

“She leaves in two days time. And Lou Ellen, too. Lord William, of course.”

“Anyone who likes witches.”

Nico nods. “And make sure sir Sherman isn’t on the guards’ party.”

Lou Ellen’s dress is the same color of her eyes, and her fingers are covered in mud and dirt. She bows before Nico, and doesn’t stand until he says so. It always makes him uncomfortable when people the same age as him do it.

“How can I help you, Your Highness?” she asks.

Nico plays with the hem of his sleeves. Before speaking, he clears his throat. “I wanted to invite you on a trip, my lady.”

Lady Lou Ellen narrows her eyes, leaning back in her chair. “A trip, sire?”

“With my husband and sister.”

“And not you?”

_Already dropping the title. A new record._ “I have some business in Caere.”

“I don’t think I follow you.”

“What I am about to tell you is a strictly confidential matter.” Lady Lou Ellen nods, and Nico leans forward, putting his elbows on the table. “I trust you will never tell a soul.”

“You will kill me, won’t you.”

Nico blinks. “What –no! That’s exactly the opposite of what I want to do. Listen, you practice witchcraft, right?”

In answer, Lady Lou Ellen wiggles her dirty fingers. Nico barely contains his sigh.

“Well, then. New laws on witchcraft may be approved during this week. I need you to be far from here if it happens, and my sister, too.”

“And why Will?”

“Is he the type of person who can stand back, if someone puts his friends in danger?”

“Danger? How bad is the situation?”

“Blocks only for witches, spaces where they, sorry, you aren’t allowed. A curfew. But not if I can stop the council.”

“Will you?”

“I’ll try my best. I promise you that.”

Lady Lou Ellen thanks him, but Nico’s mind is far away. He thinks of sea green eyes, and the promise Prince Perseus has made him. It still burns as fresh as a newly made stab wound, and Nico’s eyes sting. He can’t take his mind away, even as he walks back to his chambers.

“I barely saw you here until a few weeks ago,” the King says.”

“A real pity, I know,” Nico responds. The door shuts behind him.

In the King’s study, the only light comes from the sun gems. It reflects on the dark marbles of the floor and walls.

“Come, sit.”

The King gestures to the armchairs in front of the fireplace, where they sit in front of one another. The King crosses his legs, looking expectedly at his son.

“Lord William, Hazel and her friend Lou Ellen will take a trip to the cottage in a few days.”

The King furrows his eyebrows. “Curious. I’ve met with _Prince_ William not long ago, and he hasn’t said a thing.”

“It’s a surprise, Father.”

“How thoughtful of you. I wonder, Nico, why you would want him to be far from you.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Hazel and her witch friend, too.” Hades raises his hands, showing his now soft palms. Once, he was a fighter. Nico remembers his callous hands on his head, how loved it made him feel. “That’s a good idea, Nico.”

Nico blinks. “It is?”

“We will vote on the laws for witches next week. Having the people you care about away isn’t a bad idea.”

Nico opens his mouth, closes it again when he doesn’t find anything to say. How to express the things he wants to say.

“Do you want a tip, Nico?”

“A what?”

“A tip. On marriage.”

“From you.”

“Persephone and I have been happily married for many years.”

“And aren’t I the fruit of that marriage? _L’ennesimo voto per la fiducia._ ”

The King clicks his tongue. “No dialect in the castle, Nico. And was that a joke? I never know with your sarcasm.”

“It was a truth wrapped in sarcasm.”

The King furrows his eyebrows. “And this is sarcasm.” Nico shrugs, and he shakes his head. “Don’t distract me, Nico. My tip is, talk to your husband. Don’t keep things hidden from him. If you want him to go to the cottage, then tell him before sending him away.”

Nico nods, wondering how far he can go before his Father snaps. “Thank you.”

The King narrows his eyes. “This _is_ sarcasm.” He takes a deep breath, looking at Nico up and down, searching for every fault in his outfit. “Your mother –I don’t regret a single thing.”

“That’s why you banished us in the country side, then. Because you didn’t want your not-regrets around.”

“I would have built a castle ten times bigger for you, if only your mother had allowed me. She didn’t want to live here.”

“She died long before I came here.”

Hades shakes his head. His silky clothes catch the light, for a second he looks on fire. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’ll go, then.”

“Is that all? You came here to tell me not to look around for your husband in these days?”

“No.” The words hurt Nico’s throat as he pronounces them, as though they had claws of their own. He tightens his grasp on the armrests. “I wanted to look for a surrogate.”

“A surrogate.”

“For mine and Lord William’s children.” Every word, every letter is a slap on his face. What would his mother think of his lies if she were still here? _Il fine giustifica i mezzi_ , people say in Venice. The end goal justifies the way. Did she think the same?

“You already want children?”

“It’s a tedious process. If we start looking now, we may find someone by the end of the year.”

The King nods, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “I completely agree, for once. Talk to Persephone, she’ll be happy. But I suppose your husband still doesn’t know.”

“Of course he does. That’s why he’s going to the cottage. He’d tell everyone right now, if it were for him.”

The King scoffs. “I suppose you two will celebrate tonight, then.”

“Yeah.” Nico clears his throat. “That’s the plan.”

“I did it,” Nico says the next morning, opening the door. “I told my father.”

Only, the eyes that turn to him from Reyna’s sofa aren’t only Reyna’s. Lord William is sitting there, too, with his arms crossed on his chest, biting his cheek.

“So it was you,” Lord William says. “You know, I was surprised when the King _smiled_ at me, and raised his cup of tea, as in toast. I was surprised and confused, because you didn’t even _think_ of telling me.”

Nico clears his throat, sending a glance at Reyna. She shakes her head slightly.

“I thought he knew about the divorce. I almost asked him.”

“Tell me you didn’t,” Nico breathes.

“Of course I didn’t! I’m not an idiot. But I would have liked to know.”

Nico takes a deep breath. “Can we talk alone?”

Lord William shakes his head, and Nico thinks he will refuse. Surprising him, Lord William stands and makes his way to the balcony. Nico sends one, last desperate look at Reyna before following him.

Lord William has his arms still crossed on his chest, and sits on the marble staircase, with his legs crossed.

“Can I sit?” Nico asks.

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

Nico does it. They are between two columns, on one side, several feet under, are the fields, the red poppies and yellow flowers pepper the ground. The sun is high, and it kisses the mountains’ peek.

“So. My Father told you.”

“That you went to him last night, and told him we wanted children? Oh, and also that he blessed my journey to the cottage? Yeah. He _told_ me.”

Nico rests his head against the column. His knees brush against Lord William’s. Skeletal butterflies come to life in Nico’s stomach. A new type of sickness he often feels.

Nico sighs. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“It’s-” Lord William gestures with his hands, as if he could grasp the words in the air. “I know the council is up to something. I don’t have any power there, even if I can listen and talk during the meetings. I know, believe me, I do. And I know that you are some sort of expert with court things, like schemes and such, and I’m not, but –tell me. Just –if you want me to do something, or involve me in some sort of scheme, at least tell me.”

Nico looks at Lord William up and down. Yeah, the sun kisses the fields, but it makes love with Lord William. Every angle, every skin it accentuates, Nico drinks in it. He wishes the sun would never go down, to see how Lord William looks under it.

“Okay. I will remember next time.”

Lord William drums his fingertips on his knee. “I don’t want you to shut me out again.”

A bitter taste comes to Nico’s mouth. “You did it first.”

“Only because you had never let me in.” He shakes his head again. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bring these things up.”

Nico puts his hand on Lord William’s knee. It makes him feel giddy, and a bit dizzy. “I promise you, you will understand when this is over.”

“I trust you.”

Nico nods. “Thank you. You are –you are really kind, Lord William.”

Lord William gives him a smile. Maybe Lord William isn’t the sun’s favorite creature, maybe he is the one who gives it the light. Nico wouldn’t be surprised.

“You are kind, too. That’s why I trust you.”

The quiet lingers on Nico as a blanket. He has never had problems with silences, it doesn’t make him feel alone, as it does to others. He has met with Reyna, discussed witchcraft’s laws. Read, even tried drawing.

It’s on Monday that a letter arrives. It is brought by a southern, dark skinned boy. Green cloak, white clothes. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that it’s a healer. Nico puts it in his drawer.

Little after he leaves, Nico talks to Reyna.

“I think there’s a problem.” Nico puts his elbows on the table, leaning forward. “My –my powers, is it possible that they react to Lord William’s?”

Reyna puts her feather down, raising her head. “I have never heard of something like that. Except, well, except during the copulative act.”

Heat spreads on Nico’s skin. “Not –not during that time. I think they’re trying to kill me.”

“Kill you?” Her expression shows how little she believes it.

It doesn’t discourage Nico. “Yeah.”

“What symptoms do you have?”

“Sometimes, when I catch Lord William looking at me, my heart does this thing. Like it’s jumping. Or if he walks in the room, my breath is caught in my throat. And it happens really often, since we’ve become friends.” He takes a deep breath, and he can almost smell the lavender in Delphi’s gardens. “If we lay next to each other, my skin tickles, in all the places we’re touching. If we don’t touch, my fingertips have a sort of tickling, but different, more like a longing.” Nico shakes his head, dropping his hands on his laps, he leans back in the chair. “I think my powers are going crazy.”

“Nico.” Reyna’s eyes are softer than they’ve ever been. So is her voice. “Do you have a crush on Prince William?”

A crush on Lord William. A crush on his husband.

The idea is ridiculous. Nico snorts, shaking his head. He takes a look at Reyna, and bursting out laughing. He leans forward, hitting his head against the inkstand. The pain is enough to make him yelp, but it doesn’t stop the laughter.

“We’re divorcing, Reyna,” he says. With one hand, he swipes his tears. With the other, he gestures to the papers before her. “You’re dividing our possessions right now. Are you sure you’re paying attention to your job?”

Reyna crosses her arms on the chest. “I am, which is how I know the two of you will have to divide Lord Hermes’s gifts, there’s no way I’m reading that list again–”

“What did he give us?”

“If you haven’t used them, there’s no need to start a war over it now.” Nico raises his eyebrows, but she stops him with a gesture of her hands. “Let’s get back to your problem.”

“It’s not exactly a problem. I wouldn’t call it that. It’s almost pleasant.” Nico scratches his jaw, finding a light stubble.

“I see. Talk to Prince William, he might be feeling the same.”

Nico nods. They get back to their work, and don’t speak of it again.

Will opens the door of his quarters with his shoulder, stuttering inside. The room seems to sway under his feet. Lou Ellen calls his name, but he doesn’t stop.

Prince Nico isn’t in their room. Will finds him on the chaise lounge on the balcony.

Prince Nico looks up. A strand of hair has escaped his ponytail, and caresses his cheek in rhythm of the late night breeze.

“You’re back.”

Will gasps, gesturing with his hands in front of him. “You’re an ass!”

The Prince blinks. “Yes, but why?”

Will shakes his head. He stomps to the chaise lounge, and Prince Nico makes room for him. Will sits close, their knees brush.

“You didn’t tell me.”

“That I’m an ass?” The Prince shrugs. “You tell me enough times in a day. I thought you knew already.”

Will huffs. “You are incredible.”

“Thank you, Lord William.”

“I mean it. You actually are incredible.” Will grabs Prince Nico’s hand, unable to stop himself from smiling. “You are an incredible ass.”

“I think you meant _have_.”

Not even the breeze relieves Will’s burning skin. “You crazy, goofy, reserved Prince. You did it!”

Before he realizes it, Will is hugging the Prince. He stiffens, as Prince Nico has done. Prince Nico’s breath caresses his cheek, and their cheeks are touching. Is Will hugging him too close?

It hits him then. _I’m hugging him._

Will exhales, and leans back. He is barely touching the Prince anymore, when he is pulled back in. Prince Nico’s hands are closed in fists on his shirt, and Will would live in this moment forever.

Prince Nico perfumes of pomegranates and lemon. It shouldn’t taste so well, except it does. Lemon is Delphi, and the soaps Will is used to. Have their scents melted? The knowledge stings deep in Will’s soul.

Someone clears their throat, and they detangle themselves, to turn to Lady Lou Ellen. Hazel stands next to her, both look around the balcony with red cheeks.

The Prince clears his throat. “It’s nice to have you back.”

“It’s nice to be back,” Will says, before he can stop himself. This week in the cottage has been the longest of his life. A longing in his chest has accompanied him during the whole stay.

Prince Nico glances at him from the corner of his eye, without turning. “Really?”

Will’s breath is caught in his throat.

“We wanted to thank you,” Hazel says, startling the Princes. Will’s cheeks flush with embarrassment. “You have stopped the council. Thank you.”

“Us witches will never forget your kindness,” Lou Ellen adds. She sends Will an amused look. 

"I have only delayed the council," Nico says. "Until I can do more."

“And we will leave you, now. It seems a good way to repay you.”

“Lou!” Both Hazel and Will gasp, but she only snickers. She bows to Nico, dragging Hazel out with her. Will hears them both laughing, until the door shuts close behind them.

“That was something."

Will nods. “Yeah.” He crosses his legs under him. “So, how was your week?”

The Prince bites his lip. “I have something for you. A gift.”

Will blinks. “For me?”

“Yeah.” The Prince stands, and offers Will his hand. He looks happy, but there’s something else too, in his eyes. “Come, Lord William.”

 _Is it hope?_ , Will wonders, taking the Prince’s hand. Prince Nico’s hand is sticky and sweaty. Will takes as many details as he can gather. Every moment he spends with the Prince, every second, feels like stolen time. Rare, and pure, and everything one would ever want.

The Prince leads Will to his bedroom, and Will’s skin tickles. He’s been here only once, their wedding night. They’ve never spoken of it.

The Prince turns, without letting go of Will’s hand. The sun caresses his skin gently, but there are many shadows in the room. Will has long since last felt afraid of them. They remind him of the Prince.

“Is everything alright?” Will asks, stepping closer to the Prince.

Prince Nico nods, taking a step back. He leads Will to the bed, and Will sits. He is unsure of what to do, what do say. The Prince takes off a necklace, on which a key hangs as a pendant.

“Paranoid much, are we?” Will jokes.

The Prince’s lips turn upwards, his hands shake as he unlocks his nightstand. He takes a deep breath before opening it. Time seems to stretch on forever.

When he sits next to Will, he is holding a letter. The mattress has dropped under his weight, their shoulders are brushing. Prince Nico shifts back, putting a leg on the bed.

“Whatever you’ve done, I won’t be angry,” Will says.

“Believe me, I know.” The Prince looks down at the letter, fidgeting with it. “I thought it would be better if you opened it.”

“Whom is it from? Is it my family? Is someone sick?”

“No, no. Gods, don’t worry. It’s –something else. Here, open it.”

Will’s fingers are shaking so much it takes him three tries and the Prince’s knife to open the letter.

Nico’s heart is bumping in his chest. His throat burns, and he doesn’t even understand why.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

The sun shines on them from behind, and Nico wishes he had closed the curtains at the windows. It would have made this easier. The shadows always do.

Lord William reads the letter more than once, or maybe time just stretches for Nico.

“So?” Nico asks, when Lord William’s eyes finally rise from the letter. “Did you get in?”

Lord William places the letter behind him. Nico should have read it before giving it to him, he would have known. What if Lord William didn’t get in? Gods. He must feel awful right now.

Nico has the confirmation when Lord William hugs him again. It’s the second time already. It’s satisfying, in a way nothing before has ever been. This time, Nico reciprocates immediately.

Lord William is on his knees. He’s lucky he isn’t wearing his shoes, or Nico would have thrown him down the bed. Nico has never felt so protected as he does in Lord William’s arms.

Lord William exhales, and his warm breath caresses Nico’s shoulder. If Nico wanted, he could turn his face and kiss Lord William. The thought makes his stiffen.

“I thought-” Nico tries to say.

That’s when it happens.

He is turning to speak to Lord William’s ear, Lord William turns to listen to him. They were too close to begin with, and their lips brush. It’s barely there, more a feeling than a touch. From the moment it happens, Nico knows he will always remember this day.

When he was younger, he had problem controlling his powers. If he got upset, cracks opened in the ground. If he was happy, skeletons reanimated. A thousand years from now, people will still recall the day he was so angry at the King, shadows melted from the walls, and moved as snakes on the ground.

Only he and Lord William will remember this moment. They are the ones living it. They will remember how they have both leaned in for another kiss, bumped their noses, chuckled. How they have moved, finding a rhythm to deepen it. How much closer can they get?

One day, Nico will turn to ashes. He will be old and rotten, and of his body there will be nothing but some ashes spread around the world, moved by the winds. And those ashes won’t forget the passion which fills his veins now.

When they part, Lord William’s hair are a mess, Nico’s hands stick with gel. He brushes his thumb on Lord William’s nape, and is regarded with a shaky breath.

The blue of Lord William’s eyes is reduced to a ring. Nico sees the stars in those eyes.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

Lord William’s words are little more than a whisper.

“I got in.”

The word stops around Nico. There was dust dancing in the sunlight, but now the sun seems to have disappeared. A hole has been formed in Nico’s chest, and nothing in the world will ever fill him.

Nico raises his eyebrows. When he shallows, his mouth is as dry as the desert.

“Oh.”

“Thank you,” Lord William says.

He leans in again, and Nico gives up. How could he fight this big, huge feeling? He’s only a boy, after all.

He is no boy. He is the Crown Prince of Aita.

Nico puts a hand on Lord William’s chest. When they part, they remain too close to be only friends.

The fabric of Lord William’s shirt is soft under Nico’s calloused hand. It takes all his will not to free Lord William of his clothing.

“You don’t have to thank me. In any way. And we shouldn’t be doing this.” Nico wets his lips, and it’s really hard to keep his resolution high, when they still have Lord William’s taste on them.

Lord William’s eyes follow every movement of Nico’s tongue. “We’re married. Why shouldn’t we kiss?”

“We’re divorcing. That’s why. Also, you are leaving for Delphi.”

Lord William blinks, as though he has forgotten all of that. He nods, and when he stands, Nico is sure a piece of his soul will follow Lord William everywhere he goes.

“We aren’t divorcing.” Lord William brushes a hand through his hair. It doesn’t unmake the mess Nico’s touch has caused. “We should be asking for an annulment. We’ve never consumed the marriage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so so so  
> here we are  
> what do you think?


	9. dreams taste sweeter, when you forget reality

It’s on a Tuesday that Lord William leaves. He kneels in front of Nico, bowing his head as Nico offers his hands. The good, old gesture for married couples. Nico’s skin crawls, the longing in his chest tightens in a knot.

_Do you ever feel like you’re missing out?_ Lord William has asked him last night.

The sun shines hot, and Lord William brings Nico’s knuckles to his lips. Their matching wedding rings catch the sun rays, blinding Nico for a moment.

_As if life were going on, and people moved and lived, while you were left alone behind?_

Nico’s throat burns, as do his eyes. _I am Crown Prince of Aita_ , he thinks. _I do not cry._ He closes them, and buries his feelings so far away, the sun will never find them again.

When Lord William looks up, Nico’s heart jumps in his chest. Lord William’s eyes are so familiar, and now Nico won’t see them again, if not for a very long time.

“I will treasure every moment we’ve spent together, Your Highness.”

Nico is almost nineteen. His mother called him Nico, as did Bianca, as does Hazel. Persephone rarely says his name, although they’ve been trying to overcome their differences. His Father sometimes calls him Nico, Nicholas when he wants to make him feel overpowered.

In the palace people call him Prince Nico. Almost never Prince Nicholas, it sounds too long, and it reminds them too much of his origins. From morning to night, he hears those two words, to the point they seem to hunt him. _Your Highness_ this, _Your Highness_ that.

No one has ever said it as reverently as Lord William does. He says it like Nico has hung the stars in the sky, and crowned him with the moon.

Nico’s eyes sting with tears.

 _Thank you for everything you have ever said and done_ , Nico wants to say. _For making me a better man, brother and friend_.

Instead, he smiles.

“It’s been a pleasure, Lord William.” He clears his throat. As he raises his voice, he does his best to relax his features. “Safe travel, husband.”

“May the lords of the shadows guard over me,” Lord William replies. When he speaks, his lips caress Nico’s fingers. It sends shivers up his arms. “You are the only shadow lord I care about.”

Nico turns to his Father, but he hasn’t heard Lord William’s words. He is whispering something to Persephone’s ear. They’re standing with Hazel three steps below, waiting to greet Lord William, too.

 _We deserved that honeymoon in Venice_ , Nico thinks.

“I’ll bring you the papers,” Nico whispers. “We’ll see each other then.”

Lord William gives him a smile. For once, it doesn’t burn as bright as the sun. As he stands, the sun rays shine on the golden embroidery of his dark cloak. _Baciato dal sole_ , Nico thinks. _Kissed by the sun_.

Lord William tilts his head to the side. As he takes a deep breath, he looks at the castle.

“I will miss it here,” he reveals. “It’s grown on me.”

“It will miss you too,” Nico responds. The words roll down his tongue, without the need to think. However, other words remain stuck. _You brighten the dark halls, as the sun does. I always think that you’re its favorite creature, and I wish I had told you on the shore of the river Styx, last week, when we accompanied Hazel and Lou Ellen to pick flowers._

Lord William’s hands are warm on his. It would be easy to rest his forehead against Lord William. Nico leans forward, and his lips tickle as they are pressed against Lord William’s forehead.

“I’ll never forget you,” Nico says.

Lord William bites his lips, his eyes are wet with tears. “Thank you.”

His voice is strangled, and Nico doesn’t want him to go. But he lets go of Lord William’s hands, and waits until he turns, silver crown shining on his head, and bows in front of the King. It takes far less for him to say goodbye to the King and Queen.

“Don’t forget us,” the Queen says, jokingly. Nico can’t see her expression, but Lord William is smiling. “Write as often as you can. And Iris Message us.”

Hazel jumps on Lord William’s neck. Lord William and Hazel stumble on the stairs. It is the King who keeps them up. Lord William laughs, but his cheeks are red.

Nico’s heart constricts, as his Father clasps his hand on Lord William’s shoulder. Other words are exchanged, but Nico doesn’t hear a single thing. He only hears Lord William’s steps, how far he is going. He mounts on his horse, with no help.

He follows the healer and the party of guards that will escort them to the boat. His cloak opens in the wind behind them. If Nico could reach it, he would cling on it and never let Lord William go. His golden air shines under the sun as a falling star, and he goes far, far away.

He is past the gates when he turns to take one last look at the castle. What he thinks of Nico, standing as straight as the columns in the porch, his arms crossed as those of a widow.

Even if Lord William wanted to come back as much as Nico wants him to, he doesn’t.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

When he was younger, Nico didn’t like silences. They felt too much like loneliness, which scared him to death and back. Growing up, losing too many people to avoid loneliness, he’s grown to love silences. They were his companions.

Lord William has been gone for a three days. Silence weighs on Nico, no matter how much talk about politics and economics Reyna does. It’s the first day since they’ve chosen to divorce, that she doesn’t talk about it.

Nico is no weakling. He is Crown Prince of Aita, so he clears his throat, interrupting her midsentence.

“I have always talked about divorce,” he says. Embarrassment closes his stomach. “But Lord William has brought to my attention that we don’t need it. We need an annulment.”

Reyna’s eyes widen beyond reason. Heat creeps up on Nico’s neck and face, but he stands straight and proud, as he was taught.

Reyna tucks a strand of air behind her ear, clearing her throat. “You mean to tell me that you’ve never consumed the marriage.”

Nico nods. Out of the two of them, he wouldn’t be able to tell who is more uncomfortable. “Yeah.”

“In six months.”

Nico crossed his arms on his chest, leaning back against the “You can keep the judgement down, thank you.”

Reyna shakes her head. “It’s just a lot to take in. What exactly happened on your wedding night?”

Silence. Never touching, never moving. Never talking. Feeling Lord William’s heat _so close_ , yet so far, and never moving towards it. How different from the night in the stables, when they’ve lived of each other’s warmth.

“Nothing, my lady” Nico replies. He intertwines his fingers on his lap. “We didn’t know each other. Neither of us wished to do anything.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, Your Highness. If I can speak as your friend–”

Nico rubs his head, messing with his ponytail. “You always can.” He takes a deep breath, but his chest is as tight as a knot. I’m sorry I snapped.”

Reyna’s eyes turn softer. Sometimes she reminds Nico of Bianca. Lady Maria braided Bianca’s hair every day, and after she died, Bianca braided Nico’s. Nico has always thought that, if he had any children, he would braid their hair.

“You’ve changed a lot over the last few weeks,” Reyna says. She raises her eyebrow, crossing her legs. “I don’t think you even notice.”

“Changed?”

“Yes. You have always been kind, but you’re more open. I had to ask for you to apologize, even when it was what you wanted.”

Nico lowers his gaze, a bitter smile plays on his lips. “I’m not good with feelings.”

Reyna snorts. “You can say that.”

Nico raises his eyebrows. As she chuckles, she has the decency of covering her mouth with her hands. Paperwork without her would be way more boring.

“You’ve always been too fun to mess with.”

Nico narrows his eyes, but there is no ill feeling in his chest. “Good to know you treat your Prince like this.”

“I treat Nico like this. For the Prince I have maximum respect.”

Nico fights a smile, shaking his head. “Please, do go on with your analysis of me.” He makes a gesture with his hand, and Reyna throws her braid behind her shoulder.

“As you prefer. I was talking of how you’ve changed. I certainly don’t mean to say you are a whole different person, which is good. You’ve always been a good one.”

Nico shrugs. “I still have many flaws.”

Reyna points her feather to Nico, it looks as deadly as a knife in her hands. “That’s true. You’re acknowledging them, it’s a step forward to being worthy of the crown on your head.”

The silver circle on his head feels ten times heavier, as though responding to Reyna’s words. “You thought I wasn’t worthy of it?”

“Don’t think so lowly of me, I have always believed in you. I wouldn’t have stayed otherwise, don’t you think?” She smiles, looking down at her hands. Years ago, Nico has given her a ring with the family crest. It shines on her medium finger. “What I wanted, was for you to be loved by your subjects for who you are.”

“They hate me.”

“Just last week, you’ve spent the afternoon playing with the kids in the square.”

It was Lord William who dragged him there, and Nico had no intention of going. Lord William remembered seeing them play with Prince Perseus. (“We have to take back our subjects, don’t you think? Percy was basically stealing them from under our nose.”)

“I wasn’t alone.”

“He convinces you to get out of your comfort zone. When you told me you wanted the divorce, you did it because you were sure he wasn’t happy here. Tell me, do you still believe that he was unhappy?”

Nico drums his fingers on the table. In his mind, those first months of marriage play in his head. How much time they’ve wasted, with their hearts completely apart! How could Nico not have anything to tell Lord William? Time has passed between their fingers as sand.

“He was at the beginning.”

Before his eyes, as in a dream, he sees Lord William on his bed, his hair a golden mess, lips red and swollen. He didn’t look unhappy, then. He didn’t look unhappy when they rode their horses to the woods, and Nico has stopped the horse to pick a flower for him.

“Was he happy of leaving?”

“How would I know? I think so. He –I heard that the council didn’t let him use his powers here.” Nico bites his nail, before dropping his hand as though it burned. When he speaks again, his throat aches. “I know how that feels like. When your powers are constricted, and they –they try to –you feel them, you know?” He gestures with his hands. “I felt the shadows in my blood, like they were trying to overpower me. I don’t want for him to feel like that.”

“We could talk to the council. What they did is more than uncalled for.”

“And for what? For a life of that, of hiding whom he really is? I don’t want that for him. I wouldn’t want that for anyone.”

“Nico-”

Maybe he isn’t so strong after all. Maybe being the Crown Prince of Aita doesn’t make him as strong as he thought.

“I would much rather not talk about it.” He clears his throat, leaning forward he puts his elbows on the table. “So, what were you saying about the caves of Achrum?”

Afternoons stretch on forever, as eternal as a starless night, yet time flies by. One day it’s June, the next day July’s rains have started.

Nico stands on the balcony, leaning against the column. He hears the trumpets playing. A spark of hope flashes through him, as sudden as a thunder he asks himself whether Lord William is back. His heart is in his chest. With no clothes except for his nightclothes, he runs outside.

He finds himself on the steps of the eastern tower. It’s a delegation from Delphi, with their golden, soaked cloaks, and the crown of laurel decorated on it.

The marble is freezing under Nico’s bare feet. As he watches, General Frank dismounts his horse. He doesn’t notice any of his surroundings, as he stands under the rain, and Hazel runs from the great stairs. Would have Nico done the same, if it were Lord William there?

The rain doesn’t stop Hazel. With the combination of fancy shoes and voluminous gown, she stumbles on the stairs. Frank catches her before she hits the ground. Nico doesn’t hear their laugh from so far, but he sees their smiles.

Hazel hugs General Frank, and he spins her in the air. If the people around them feel as uncomfortably third-wheeling as Nico does, they don’t give it away.

Nico shifts his weight from one foot to the other. He narrows his eyes, but he doesn’t see any blonde head. There’s no Lord William amongst those people. Nico’s heart sinks in his chest.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

Nico rests against the wall. If he were any other boy, he would let himself fall to the ground. He feels like doing it.

He is Crown Prince of Aita. So he goes back to his silent rooms, and he silently goes in the study. The only sound is that of the feather scraping the paper.

Nico sits between the tree’s roots, with his back against the tree trunk. It’s been two days since it has stopped raining, yet water drops sometimes fall on Nico’s head from the leaves.

The sun is high in the sky. Its warmth reaches Nico behind his closed eyelids. He almost drifts off to sleep. It’s been too long since he has last slept. Yesterday night he has had a nightmare. He had been asleep for less than two hours, and couldn’t fall back asleep afterwards.

Now, in the Queen’s Gardens, he might just do that.

“You always came here with Bianca.”

Nico startles. A shadow has appeared before the sun. If it weren’t for his voice, Nico might not recognize the King. The crown on his head is pitch black, some say it was made from the deepest shadows in Tartarus, forged by the cyclops.

The King moves, and sits next to Nico. He looks so out of place under the sun, and on the dirty ground nonetheless. He rests his back against the tree trunk, eyeing Nico side way.

Nico clears his throat. “Only when we were here.” He lays his forearms on his knees, looking at the ground under him. He follows an ant’s path. Why does he feel like an ant next to his Father?

“I used to watch you from there,” Hades continues, gesturing to the balcony of the King’s quarters. They aren’t far from Nico and Lord William’s rooms, but they are way bigger. The balcony is more of a patio, with so many flower vases one couldn’t count them. “I often wondered if your children would play here as well. I imagined it. Yours, Bianca’s and Hazel’s children, running around the castle.”

Nico rubs his hand on his nose. “Yeah. I guess that turned to smoke.”

Hades takes a deep breath. “General Zhang. He came to see Hazel, didn’t he?”

Nico nods.

“He is the second born of a lord. He has no title nor lands,” Hades continues. “I wonder, what would a princess see in him?”

The ant disappears under the ground. Shadows dance in the border of Nico’s vision, as it often happens when he and his Father come head to head. _Too stubborn for their own good_ , Persephone has told Lord William not long before he left.

As he speaks, Nico plucks grass from the ground.

“I am no princess, but he is kind and respectful, rare for a child of Ares. He has been Hazel’s friend for years. He makes her happy, more than fancy clothes and shoes do, more than anyone else does.”

Nico’s heart bumps in his chest harder than ever.

The King raises his eyebrow. “Would you bless their union, then?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Hades scratches his neck, growling something about insects before speaking again. “It won’t happen for years, anyway. She is too young to marry.”

Although Nico agrees, irritation burns hot in him. “She is sixteen. I was fourteen when I got engaged.” _When_ you _got me engaged._

“It was a harder time. With the war, we needed allies.”

“You didn’t want to take part in it.”

“I am no fool, Nicholas. I always knew the war would reach us, no matter how father north we are from the other kingdoms, and how secure our borders are.”

Nico purses his lips. “You’ve never told me why you chose Lord William.”

“As your fiancé? I visited him in a dream, once. He has a healer’s soul. Kind, selfless, patient enough to deal with you-”

“Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Nico stares at his Father in complete outrage, before shaking his head to hide his smile. There’s a weight on his stomach, a word that has long been torturing him. Is it time for him to say it?

Nico wants to speak, but Hades beats him to it.

“He didn’t look too happy, a while ago.”

It feels like someone has stabbed him in the chest, but Nico nods. “He wasn’t.”

“I heard about his brothers. Word hadn’t reached me after the war.”

“He told me in Delphi. I didn’t know before.”

The King shakes his head. “Such a difficult time he must have had. I’m not one for sympathy. I wish I had known.”

Nico shrugs. “No one could help me with Bianca.”

“You could have used a shoulder to cry on.” As he shakes his head, the crown tilts on Hades’ head.

Nico shrugs again. “Yeah. It’s in the past now.”

Hades gives him a look of surprise. Nico has never been good at letting go, he knows it in the deepest part of his chest. He holds on to things, until they hurt as a stab wound, and he knows he will never recover.

Nico clears his throat. _Now or never_.

“But Lord William’s unhappiness isn’t.”

King Hades straightens his back. “Isn’t it.” As always, it sounds more like an order than anything else.

“No, it isn’t. We haven’t been –he isn’t happy here. You don’t know him much, but–”

Mock paints the King’s voice. “And you do?”

“He is my friend.”

“He is your husband.”

Maybe Nico is as petty as when he was a child, for his next words are filled with rage to his Father.

“We want to annul the marriage.”

“Is that why you have sent him off to Delphi? People think he has disrespected you, taken a lover.”

Bloody sir Sherman comes to Nico’s mind, but he throws the thought away. Telling his Father of his suspicions wouldn’t do any good now.

“I sent him to Delphi because that’s where he should be. He has great gifts as a healer, he will be greater than Asclepius with time and-”

“Asclepius who was banished for bringing men back to life? People started honoring him as a god, Nico-”

“I know! But Lord William isn’t his half-brother. He isn’t as ambitious, he doesn’t want to be seen as a god. He just wants to help people.”

“He would help them as King of-”

“He wouldn’t be happy!” Nico almost cries the words. If they are lucky, no other noble man or woman is close by. “It would eat him away. You saw so yourself. He wasn’t happy until we started talking of divorce, then-”

The King’s voice is colder than winter air. “How long ago.”

“It –I think it was May.”

“I see. Before you went to Delphi, then. Has he talked about it to his Father?”

“Not then. I don’t know if he has now. He talked with his step-mother, Lady Daphne.”

“I see.”

Frustration runs hot in Nico’s veins. “What? What exactly do you see?”

“I see that you are two fools.” The King grins, and Nico’s rage stops. “Did you think you could hide it forever?”

“Long enough for him to be already away.”

“Do you suddenly believe the stories? That I kidnapped Persephone, kept her when she wanted to leave?” Hades shakes his head, his expression shows disappointment. “Crowns are heavy upon princes’ heads, and princes are often unhappy. I’ve always wanted you to be an exception.”

 _Happiness._ Why is it such a faraway matter for Nico? When was he happy?

 _Reggia di Venezia._ He was happy there, in the city of bridges and canals. There was Maria, braiding Bianca’s hair before they went to sleep. And there was Bianca, chasing Nico through the corridors and the halls. They had so much, back then.

After that, it would be a lie to say that Nico hasn’t been happy. If he were to think of another moment of happiness, he would think of playing in the streets with Lord William, Hazel and the children of the city. Doing paperwork with Reyna and Lord William. Visiting the colts with Lord William. Feeling Lord William’s lips move against his own.

Nico passes a hand through his hair, ignoring the stinging in his eyes.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Father.”

“You don’t disappoint me.” Hades callous finger caresses the silver circle sitting on Nico’s hair. “I’m not afraid of time passing, for you’ll be a good king. History books will talk of you.” His hand drops back in his lap. “If your happiness doesn’t lay with Lord William, you have my blessing for the annulment. Whenever the papers are ready.”

“Thank you.”

Two days pass by with no event. Nico’s days are blank and endless, and he finds little comfort in the night.

After dinner, General Frank asks to stay with the royal family. That’s when Nico feels it coming. He exchanges a look with his Father, as Hades hides a smile behind his goblet.

Hazel is noble and brave. “We love each other and we want to spend the rest of our lives together, when the time comes,” she says. As confident as she looks, she grips General Frank’s hand as though it were her last anchor to the world. “We want to get married.”

The King nods. “It would be an honor to have such a good General as my son-in-law.” He looks at Persephone, sitting on the armrest of his armchair. “Do you agree?”

Persephone’s smile blossoms as sweet as a daisy. “I wish nothing but happiness for Hazel.”

They all look over at Nico.

He shrugs. “I mean, if you can stand her-”

Hazel throws a pillow in his way. As she laughs, tears shine in her eyes. “You’re such an ass!”

Nico ducks to avoid it, and it ends up in the fireplace. The flames devour the satin in seconds.

“Children!” Persephone cries, with her hands on her hips, but even King Hades is laughing.

Lord William is sitting at desk in front of the window, giving his back to Nico. He is bent over the table, his feather scraps quickly against the paper. For a moment, Nico just takes him all in. How his muscles move under the white shirt, how the sun shines on him. How he looks surrounded by books.

“Your wear your hair curly again.”

Lord William startles. As he turns, he drops his feather, ruining with ink his paper.

He is even more gorgeous than he already was. When he smiles, he tilts his head to the side. Nico follows every movement. For how much Nico wants to get closer, he leans against the doorframe.

“Is this a dream?” he asks. His voice is soft, perhaps more vulnerable than he’s ever shown himself.

Nico scratches the back of his neck. “Do you wish it to be?”

It takes Lord William a moment to respond. “Can I kiss you, if it is?”

“Will you only do it if it is?”

Lord William stands. Nico must have grown taller, for when they are chest to chest, they look straight into each other’s eyes.

Lord William’s fingers caress Nico’s chin.

“You have a stubble,” he says.

Nico smiles. “Is that supposed to be an insult?”

“Only if it works.” As Nico laughs, Lord William tilts his head to the side. “It feels real. And you look real.”

“Only you wouldn’t remember if you’ve fallen asleep.”

Lord William gasps. “You are insulting me in my own dream!”

“So you have decided it is.”

Lord William throws a glance at the desk, covered in papers and ink stains. “I’m never so clean in reality.” He curls his nose, and it takes all of Nico’s will not to smooth it with a kiss.

“Clean?” Nico snorts. “Takes some courage to define that _clean_.”

Lord William blocks Nico against the doorframe with his weight. “You can control other’s dreams, yet this is the first time you come into mine. Do I wish to know why?”

“Because you shove me against doors. And seriously, do you study in your dreams?” Nico gestures with his hand to the desk, and Lord William shakes his head.

“I only do boring things when I have boring visitors.”

“You’re such an ass.”

“You stole my line.”

Nico grins. With a bitter taste in his mouth, he puts his hand on Lord William’s chest. Understanding clouds Lord William’s eyes, and he takes a step back. It’s only a dream, so Nico shouldn’t feel the loss of Lord William’s warmth. He does.

“Do you always wear your hair like that, now?” Nico asks.

Lord William shrugs. He sits on the table, the tips of his feet only brush the ground. Nico is so weak, that he goes to sit at the chair.

“Usually. I don’t have servants fret around me anymore.”

Nico puts his elbows on the table. His right one brushes against Lord William’s thigh. He looks at Lord William from behind, through his eyelashes.

“Do you miss them?”

“Not much. I sure as hell don’t miss the council.”

Lord William lays his hand on the table. Nico traces a secret path uniting the freckles on his hand with a finger. Lord William’s breath comes out broken.

“You sound like a southern,” Nico says.

“I am a southern.”

“I know.”

Lord William scoffs. “You always know everything, don’t you?” He turns his hand, and cups Nico’s. “We’re not being ourselves.”

“People tend to lose their inhibition in dreams. They are too far from reality to care.”

Lord William raises his other hand. His index brushes Nico’s cheekbone. “Are we?”

“Far from reality?” Nico’s breath is caught in his throat. His chest squeezes as tight as an elastic before snapping. He leans in the warmth of Lord William’s hand. “We are.”

Lord William takes their intertwined hands to his chest. Nico would hear his heartbeat, if it weren’t a dream. _Come home_ , he thinks.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

Lord William’s finger trails Nico’s jawline, and stops under his chin. “You never came here before.” He raises his eyebrow, leaning forward. “So what is it you want to tell me?”

“Can’t I just be here because I miss my friend?”

“I’ve sent you a thousand letters since I left. You have never wrote back.”

Lord William’s voice isn’t accusatory, and it hits Nico again just how different they are.

“I haven’t received any of them.”

“You’re lying.” Nico doesn’t respond, and Lord William shakes his head. “If you were here because you missed me, then why-”

As he tucks a dark strand of air behind his ears, Nico interrupts him.

“I lied. You’re right. The papers are ready. Tomorrow, a delegation from Caere will reach the Golden Palace.”

Lord William’s hand freezes. The other drops on his lap, Nico’s hand falls with it.

“So we’re really going with it.”

Nico takes a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“Can we talk?”

“We are talking.”

“So this is the goodbye.”

“We can be friends, you said so yourself.”

“I-Yes. You’re right.” Lord William clears his throat, “But this is the last time we talk as husbands.”

Those words shouldn’t dig such a big hole in Nico’s chest. Only, they do. Lord William’s eyes are too blue and too pure, for Nico to hold his gaze.

“Those are the Caelian Peaks,” he says, staring out of the window. “Do you miss them?”

The Caelian Peaks are the mountains around Caere, blocking the western winds. They protect the city. When Nico’s Father conquered the North, he spent the night before the battle on them. Where he set his tent, there’s now a cottage, as big as the eastern wing of the palace.

Nico turns back to Lord William, whose cheeks are red. He shrugs.

“That view was home, wasn’t it? We saw it from our balcony.”

Nico nods. “It feels strange without you.” The words leave his mouth before his mind registers them.

Lord William gives him a sad smile. “You’ve always told me I speak too much.”

Nico tightens his hold on Lord William’s hand. “I didn’t mind it half as much as I said I did.”

Lord William scoffs. “You have an interesting way of showing your emotions.” He brings Nico’s hand to his lips, and kisses his knuckles. Nico closes his eyes, as tension fills the room.

“You’re interesting,” Nico blurts out. He would sink in his chair, but Lord William doesn’t loosen the hold on his hand. Nico clears his throat. “We’ll see each other at Annabeth and Percy’s wedding, then.”

“I suppose so.” Lord William purses his lips. Nico finds it hard to breathe. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“When you remarry, don’t invite me.”

Nico blinks. Remarry. _Fuck_. He doesn’t want to remarry. He doesn’t want to have someone as close as Lord William is right now, and feel so much for them. He doesn’t want to let someone in, the way he has let Lord William in. Nico doesn’t want to lose Lord William.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

“As you wish.”

Prince Jason hugs Nico before he can so much as tell him to fuck off. Nico looks for his Father’s support, but he finds the King talking to the guards of Jason’s party.

Nico pats his hand on Jason’s back, and Jason finally takes a step back.

“I was so, _so_ sorry to hear about the divorce,” he says. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Nico eyes the crown on Jason’s head. It’s not much different from Nico’s, only golden where Nico’s is silver.

“I really don’t,” Nico replies.

Reyna steps forward, clearing her throat. Jason’s attention shifts to her, and she grins.

“Shall I call you Your Highness?”

“You shall call me whatever you want,” Jason replies. He hugs her too, capturing the attention of the nobles standing on the stairs. They have very dignified, disgusted expressions. “You know, I was a bit disappointed to hear that you often write to my sister, since you _more than often_ ignore my letters.”

Reyna shakes her head. “That’s not true.”

Nico steps back in. “The council finds it difficult, to accept that the King’s ward has a close relationship with the Crown Prince of Tinia, yet refuses to share his secrets.”

“What?”

Nico shrugs. “They want to stab you in the back, Jason.” He clasps his hands before his belly, and nods to the nobles around them. “Welcome to Aita, by the way.”

Jason’s expression is completely blank for a few seconds, and Nico wonders whether he’s broken him.

“Perfect, then. Show me my rooms?”

Jason is nosy. He doesn’t let anyone stop him from putting his nose where it doesn’t belong. One would call him a spy. By now, Nico knows better. He lets Jason wander freely in his rooms, with a skeleton right behind him.

All the skeletons in the world wouldn’t be enough to keep Prince Jason in check.

“Why does Lord William write you so many letters?” He asks. As he comes out on the balcony, he waves the stash of letters in his hand.

Nico’s breath is caught in his throat. He sits straighter on the sofa, which has been substituting the chaise lounge he used with Lord William. Nico passes a hand through his air, as Jason sits in front of him. Neither of them is wearing shoes, and their knees are brushing. The contact doesn’t send sparks through Nico’s body, as every touch with Lord William does. Did.

“And you haven’t read any of them.”

Nico shrugs, clearing his throat. “I don’t want to.”

“Do you hate him?”

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

“I don’t. You’ve been telling me to let the past go for years now. I am.”

“I didn’t mean your husband. If you don’t want him, I understand that you’ve asked for the-”

“You don’t understand.” Nico shakes his head, leaning back from the letters Jason is still waving. The sole sight of them in Jason’s hand, makes something old and rotten stir in Nico. “You don’t know what it feels like, to be fourteen and already know whom you’ll marry.”

“I’ve loved Piper for-”

Nico almost shrieks. “You love her. Usually, love comes before a marriage, not after it. I didn’t love Lord William when we got married.”

Understanding fills Jason’s eyes.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

“Was it still Percy?”

Nico shrugs. “I’m not sure it has ever been anyone else.”

“Even now?”

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

Sparks through his skin whenever they are touching, the longing for Lord William to be close to him, to know him better than anyone else does. It all comes back to Nico’s mind, with the force of an army.

Nico takes a deep breath, to the point his chest hurts.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

“I haven’t seen him in months. I wouldn’t know.”

Jason blinks. He leans back, and scratches the back of his neck. “Have you ever told Percy of your crush?”

Nico’s skin burns hot, and he crosses his arms on the chest. “I’d much rather not.” His voice comes out as low as a growl.

Jason raises his hands on the air. “I’ve known of your crush for years. You’ve never hesitated, when I asked if you still had it.”

Nico shakes his head. “That’s not true.”

“And you should tell Lord William, too.”

Nico widens his eyes. “Of course. Of course! Next time I see him, I’ll just go ‘Hey ex-husband, how’s it going? By the way, when I vowed before the gods and everyone we knew, that my heart would be yours for the rest of my life, I had a crush on my cousin’! It sounds like a wonderful idea, especially if I want his Father to move to war on Aita! Fuck, Jason, does your brain even work?”

Nico’s chest is tight, and he paints as though he has run a marathon. Jason puts his hand on Nico’s shoulder, but he squirms away from the touch.

Jason curls in fingers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Nico shakes his head. “I should be sorry. You just asked a question. I overreacted.” He brushes a hand through his hair. He should cut it, it’s becoming too long. “It’s just –I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“Maybe it will help to see them. On Percy’s wedding, I mean.”

“Yeah. My crush and my husband. Ex-husband. Whatever. As my crush gets married. What could go wrong?”

“What could go wrong, he said,” Prince Jason mutters.

As they stand on the balcony of their shared suite, Lord William hugs Annabeth and Percy in the courtyard. Lady Sally kisses his cheek.

Even without looking at him, Nico knows Lord William’s smile could lighten up the room.

“Fuck,” Nico says.

“What?” Reyna asks.

Nico shakes his head. He tries to run a hand through his hair, only to be stopped by the circle around his head. His heart bumps hard and fast. How much Nico has missed seeing Lord William crowned by the sun? He can’t count the times he’s hoped to see a golden head passing through the gates of the palace. Nor the times he’s been disappointed.

“His hair is curly,” Nico responds with a moan of pain.

“And so?” Prince Jason asks. His voice is filled with amusement and wonder.

Nico’s skin burns hot with embarrassment as he crosses his arms on his chest. He rests his head against the marble column. “It looks so–” He gestures to the courtyard, before dropping his hand on the railing. “So soft.”

Is it too late to hide under the carpet in his rooms?

Jason’s hand clasps his shoulder. “We’ll get through this.”

“Easy for you!” Nico retorts, gesturing with his hands in the air. “It’s not _your_ ex-husband in the courtyard!”

Reyna snorts. “Yeah, you’d have a lot of explaining to do if that were the case."

Nico elbows her, just as Jason elbows him, with much more passion.

“He’s looking at us!” Jason squeaks. “He’s looking at us! He spotted us! Oh my gods, what do-?”

“We’re not undercover!” Reyna snaps.

It’s all background noise, as Nico raises his hand in the air. Lord William is looking right at him, and when their eyes meet, a warm feeling blossoms in Nico’s chest.

Ever so slowly, Lord William waves back.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo  
> anybody still reading?  
> we're getting closer to the end, by the way  
> and who  
> said  
> DRAMA  
> will find it in the next chapter


	10. weddings aren't happy occasions only for the groom and the bride

Nico stares at the reflection in the mirror. It feels like he’s only watching the play of his life from afar, without being an actor.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” he says.

Jason turns towards him, giving him a half-smile. He stands behind Nico, and knots the strands of Nico’s mask. It’s cold and unwelcome on Nico’s face.

“Don’t worry,” he says, brushing Nico’s hair out of the crown’s way. “There’s all of our friends there.”

“And my ex-husband.”

“Will won’t do a thing. If he annoys you, we’ll call the guards.”

“He isn’t one for drama scenes,” Hazel adds from the living room. Golden highlighter colors her cheeks, matching the one Nico wears. “And he is too respectful to talk to you in public.”

Nico snorts. “Remember the time with Percy in Caere? He _is_ one for drama scenes. He won’t do it this time. I mean. He wanted to be friends.”

“Before you ignored his letters,” Jason responds. “Or did you reply?”

“Well, I didn’t. But that’s not the point.” Nico’s heart bumps harder with irritation in his chest. “And I wouldn’t call the guards on him.”

Jason throws his hands in the air. “I don’t know how to help you.”

“I don’t need help. I’m perfectly calm. More than that. Everything’s all right. Everything’s cool.”

Reyna covers a snort with a cough. Nico sends her a death glare, but she is looking down the window.

“You’ll be happy to see who’s with Lord William,” she says.

Nico feels it in his blood, as Hazel tries a thousand guesses. Who else could it be? There’s only one person whom he would be annoyed to see with Lord William. Only one man in the whole world.

“Let me guess,” he interrupts. Venom fills his words. “Sir Sherman.”

Reyna nods, biting her lips until they’ve turned white.

“Bloody man,” Nico grumbles.

“Isn’t he Frank’s brother?” Jason asks.

Nico groans. “Gods, I hadn’t even thought of that. We’re going to be relatives. Gods.” It hits him later, and he can’t contain a smile. He turns to Reyna, and she pales a bit under his gaze. He stomps out of the bathroom. “He can’t marry Lord William if we’re relatives, can he?”

“He can’t, Your Highness,” she responds. “Unless you give your blessing.”

“Over my dead body.” He doesn’t realize he’s said it out loud until Jason pinches his arm.

“Lord William will remarry, sooner or later,” Reyna continues. “And every suitor will ask your blessing before they ask for his hand.”

Nico crosses his arms on the chest, drumming his fingers on his forearm. “How long do you think? Before he remarries.”

“Isn’t your Father already looking for suitors?” Jason asks, sitting next to Reyna. “Maybe his is looking, too. Lord William is heir of Delphi, now.”

Reyna nods. “It’s possible. However, you’re only nineteen, and Lord William married you for the necessities of the war. He may want to marry for love, now.”

It hits Nico as a blow in the chest, but he nods. He almost sees it. A man or woman, kneeling in front of Nico, asking for Lord William’s hand, promising they’ll love him as Nico never did.

Nico’s throat burns, but he nods. “I was just joking. I would give my blessing.”

A knock on the door blocks Jason’s next words, and a guard announces Leo Valdez and Calypso.

Lord William is beautiful beyond reason. His blonde hair curls around the blue mask, decorated with diamonds. It resembles a starlit night, and Nico wishes he knew how to draw, so he could keep the memory of this moment forever, and show it to everyone who crosses his path. Instead, he will treasure it in his memory.

“Should I talk to him?” Nico asks Reyna. He has offered her his arm, and they walk side to side through the dancing couples.

“Where is he?”

Nico gestures to him with his head. “The one dressed in dark blue. He has pearls on his wrist. What do they mean in the south? They mean something, don’t they? Gods, do you think it’s some sort of signal? Like ‘if my ex-husband talks to me, call the guards’? Does it mean he hates me?”

Reyna laughs. “Calm down, Nico. Didn’t you say his sister Kayla played with pearls, when you went to Delphi last spring? Maybe it’s a gift from her.”

The knot in Nico’s chest loosens. “Ah. Yeah, you’re right.” He laughs. “I mean, it’s not like he hates me. Right?”

“To be honest, you didn’t respond to any of his letters.” Nico turns to Reyna with widened eyes, and she shrugs. “I’m sorry, but he must be upset. Have you ever visited him in his dreams?”

Nico makes a grimace. “Kind of?”

“Oh, gods. What did you do?”

Nico appreciates the efforts she makes to keep a moan in.

“I went! Once.” Nico clears his throat. His cheeks burn when he remembers Lord William’s finger on his cheekbone, caressing as kindly as no one’s ever been with him. “To tell him the papers were ready.”

Reyna sighs, but she doesn’t respond.

“What?” Nico groans. He has a mask on, no one will know he’s a prince anyway. “Just say it.”

“I don’t understand. That’s all. The day he left, I wasn’t far from you on the steps. I saw how you reacted to his touch. You’ve never looked at anyone like that.”

“He was my friend. And my husband. It was just an act.”

Reyna shakes her head. They start dancing, moving slowly with each other. If Nico were still married, he’d be dancing with Lord William. Nico would be touching his forearms, not Reyna’s. He knows for sure he would be shivering.

Reyna shakes her head. “All of it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I gave you a question, some time ago.” Nico’s heart sinks in his chest, and tension fills him. “Have you found an answer? Do you have a crush on Lord William?”

As he spins Reyna in the air, Nico steals a glance at Lord William. “That’s ridiculous.” The words sound fragile even to his own ears.

“Is it?” As the dance ends, and they bow in front of each other, she makes one last question, that will haunt Nico’s nights. “What are you so afraid of?”

He doesn’t respond.

The fresh night breeze brings a smell of sea. Will takes a deep breath, leaning back against the column. If he opened his eyes, he would see how the moon shines on the dark waves of the sea.

In the hall the music is still playing. It’s so far away, that if Will breathed a little too deeply, he wouldn’t even hear it.

Someone clears their throat, and Will almost falls from the railing.

He feels it in his blood, in the way his sun’s powers react to the those of the shadow. He thinks he must be wrong, but when he turns Prince Nico is there.

Silence stretches between them for an eternity. Prince Nico’s eyes dart up and down Will’s body, as though memorizing where every diamond, every decoration is put.

Will does the same. He finds himself very interested in the golden sunflower pin on the Prince’s chest. Is it new? He’s seen Prince Nico’s collection of jewels –which the Prince didn’t even recall having– and he doesn’t remember the pin. Is it a gift from a suitor? He’s heard the King is already looking for a replacement. He would be lying, if he said it doesn’t hurt.

When the Prince finally speaks, his voice is hoarse and low.

“I saw you in the courtyard this afternoon.”

The Prince sits in front of Will, with both feet on the railing, and his knees bent. Will already sees him falling to the ground. His hand shots to Prince Nico’s ankle, before he even realizes it.

“I know. I saw you too.” Will raises the mask from his face, rubbing tiredly his eyes. Stupid balls organized on the day of his arrival. Couldn’t they do it tomorrow? He’s a mess today. He hasn’t brushed his hair half as much as the servants in Caere did.

When the Prince raises his mask, golden highlighter catches the light of the moon. Will’s breath is caught in his throat.

“You didn’t come say hello. I’m staying with Hazel, Reyna and Jason. Hazel misses you.”

“I know. She told me.”

Will can’t be angry at Prince Nico. For all he wants, what he feels is irritation. If the Prince apologized, Will would be bent to his will once more. He can’t let that happen.

The Prince groans, passing a hand on his face. “Listen, I’m-”

Will interrupts him. “Don’t.” He shakes his head, leaning back against the column. He can’t find it in himself to let go of the Prince’s ankle. “Don’t apologize for something you’re not sorry for.”

“What if I were sorry?”

Exhaustion washes over Will. He just wants to go to sleep, and be rested for tomorrow’s ceremony.

“Then you wouldn’t have done it.”

The Prince puts his feet on the ground, his ankle falls off Will’s hand. He shifts closer, until his thigh is pressed against Will’s knee. Tension hardens the Prince’s shoulders, and he takes a deep breath.

“It wasn’t only Hazel who missed you,” he reveals. His voice is soft, little more than a whisper. A secret shared only with Will and the wind, and Will finds himself leaning toward the Prince. “I missed you, too.”

Will shakes his head. “Then why have you never written back?”

The Prince bites his lips, drawing Will’s attention away from his very dark and very beautiful eyes. “Because I’ve never read your letters.”

Will laughs, despite the bitterness in his chest. He leans back again –when did he even lean forward?– and his head beats against the marble with a loud _thud_.

“Just like you to be an ass,” he says.

Maybe it’s a trick of the light, but the Prince’s cheeks grow redder. Will wishes to take back those words.

“It’s not easy for me either, you know?” Will drums his fingers on his knee, following the rhythm of the music inside. “I’ve never wanted to be nineteen and divorced.”

“We also didn’t want to be eighteen and married.” Prince Nico shrugs, and makes a tightlipped smile. “I suppose one can’t always win.”

Will wishes he’d never said that phrase to the Prince, and that for once, just for once, they could take a step forward without two backwards.

“Is that all you came here to tell me?” he asks. “To stop wasting paper writing to you?”

As the silence stretches, Will swallows in a dry throat. With blood running as fast as waterfalls in his veins, he stands. Prince Nico’s hand shots as fast as a snake to Will’s wrist, dragging him down again.

“Don’t go. Just –I need to think one more second.”

Will blinks. His instincts tell him to run, fast and far. His bleeding heart asks him to never turn his back to Prince Nico, and how could he ignore them?

As silence falls as a blanket over them, the Prince keeps his finger raised in the air. His gaze is fixed on the ground, and he bites his lips. Will does his best to keep a laughter in.

“The point is,” the Prince says, dropping his finger. He leans forward, as does Will, and the smell of pomegranate and lemon washes over Will. “I want to forget about you. I miss you, and if I read the letters you send, I will be stabbing myself in the chest, all over again.”

Will’s jaw drops, because –fuck. He wasn’t expecting the Prince to tell the truth, and now his eyes are burning like never before.

_What the Hell have we done?_ He asks himself.

Prince Nico takes a deep breath. “I can’t believe I actually said that.”

“Neither can I.” Will finds it hard to speak, his tongue is ten times heavier than ever. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”

Prince Nico shakes his head. “Not much. I think, I actually wanted to say that. I feel lighter now.”

“You promised me we would remain friends,” he says, because if he looks at Prince Nico’s eyes one more second, he’ll self-combust. “You broke your promise.”

“It’s harder than I thought it would be.”

“You’ve never been a coward. It’s always been hard between us.”

“That’s why we divorced, isn’t it?”

Will feels like a dandelion left alone against the wind, stripped of any type of protection. “You’ve never told me.”

“What?”

“Why we divorced.”

Prince Nico blinks. “Because we wanted to.”

Does he know it’s a lie, or does he believe it to be the truth? “No. You wanted to.”

“You didn’t stop me.”

“I fainted.” Will shakes his head, drumming his fingers on the railing. “And I thought you hated me.”

“I thought you hated me, too.”

“I could never hate you.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Will almost laughs. “You have the audacity of asking me why? Let’s see. You are the embodiment of a fairy tale prince! You are kind, generous, smart, although dense, with the features of a god. Every time I so much as sneezed, you overly worried and brought me to the court physician. And that was before we were even friends.” Will shakes his head, biting his cheek. “I wish I knew how to hate you, it would be so much easier.”

“Easier than what?”

Will’s eyes burn. He closes them, but tears run down his cheeks, as warm as the summer sun. “Easier than losing you.” When he opens his eyes, the Prince is frozen in place. “If I tell you the real truth, you’ll really hate me.”

Prince Nico shakes his head. “I never could. I have already told you once.” His hand, hesitant as the first flowers after the winter, reaches for Will’s. It’s cold, Prince Nico’s body always is. “I know I’m not in a place to make promises, but this is more than a promise. It’s the pure truth.”

Will’s chin shakes, and he tries his best to keep his composure. “I swear to you, I tried not to.”

The music has turned into something slower and more melancholic. It breaks Will’s heart, just as much as his own next words do. The truth that has so often kept him awake at night.

“Not because I didn’t want to, but because I knew you didn’t. It would be far easier to hate you, than to lose you more every day.” His tears have the same taste as the salty air. “You were never mine, yet losing you breaks me. If I hated you, I would have something to shelter with, but I don’t. I’ve loved you for so long, I thought I could lose everything to be with you. I thought I could watch you be in love with someone else, that it would be enough to be the one beside you. Fool’s hope, I see how pathetic it is now.”

The Prince blinks. His hand loosens on Will’s.

“Why?”

“Telling you is getting tiring, and the reasons are more by the minute.” When Will gathers enough courage to look at the Prince in the eyes, his eyes are glassy. “I love you because you are you.”

“Love?”

“Did I stutter?” Will snorts. He raises a hand to wipe his tears, but it is caught mid-air by the Prince’s.

Just as the drying tears start to tickle Will’s cheeks, the Prince’s hand lifts from Will’s. He uses it to wipe Will’s face. His hand lingers open under Will’s eye. Hope blossoms in Will’s chest, he tries with all of his forces to keep it down.

“You tried not to love me,” the Prince says.

“It wasn’t what you wanted. I –I hadn’t realized how much in love I was, not until the wedding.”

“We didn’t even talk that day.” Prince Nico’s voice is softer than Will has ever hoped it would be. “How did you know? That you –that you liked me.”

“I thought I liked you until then. But before you said your vows, you looked down at the people in the cathedral.” Shivers run down Will’s back. After months, it hurts just as much as it did back then. “I held your hands in mine, and as you said you would love me forever, you looked down at Prince Perseus. When you looked back at me, your eyes were like broken glass.”

The Prince has leaned back. If he stood any more still, he could pass as a statue. A muscle flicks in his jaw.

“How do you not hate me?”

Will leans forward, putting his hand on Prince Nico’s shoulder. He brushes a strand of the Prince’s hair. He must have cut it, it wouldn’t fit in a ponytail now.

“I could never hate you for not loving me.”

Ever so slowly, Will raises to his feet. His hand slips through the Prince’s fingers, the other drops from the Prince’s shoulder to Will’s side. Once again, as he walks he wishes the Prince would ask him to stay. He doesn’t.

Nico is sure he has dreamed last night’s conversation with Lord William. He isn’t sure how long he’s stood there. Was he even breathing? He stares blankly at the ceiling, until a weight drops next to him.

Startled, he looks at the other side of the bed. Lightened by the sunrays, Jason is laying there. He has residues of black eye-pencil under his eyes, and he is still in his night clothes.

“I thought you were dead,” Jason says. “Why are you staring at the ceiling? Are you having an epiphany?”

Nico swallows bitter saliva. “I think –did you see me leaving the ball early last night?”

Jason furrows his eyebrows. “Yeah. You gave me your flute, before you left. You said you needed fresh air. Why?”

Nico leans further into the warmth of the blankets. He turns on his side. As he tries to find the right words, his mouth hangs open.

“How did you know you loved Piper?”

Jason blinks. “Well. How did you know you had a crush on Percy?”

“I tried to kill him, Jason. We’re not the same.”

“Sorry, forgot your little back stabbing. Uh, how did I know.” He sing-songs the last part, which would normally give Nico chills. He’s too caught up in his drama for that. “It was stronger than a crush, far stronger. I knew it in my bones, you know? It was part of me. I couldn’t help but love her. I _can’t_ help but love her. Every time I see her, I fall a bit more.” Jason snuggles his face against the pillow. His cheeks are slightly red, and he has that idiotic smile of his on his lips. “Why are you asking me that?”

Nico’s words are slurred together by the pillow. “I saw Lord William last night. We talked.” _Do you have a crush on Prince William?_ “He told me he had a crush on me, before the wedding.”

_What are you so afraid of?_

“I mean, that’s kind of cute, if you ask me.” Jason yawns, his morning breath gives Nico nausea. “But he’s over it now, isn’t he?”

_What are you so afraid of?_

Nico has a bitter taste in his mouth, a knot closes his stomach.

_What are you so afraid of?_

“He said –he thinks he loves me.”

“If he thinks so, then maybe he does.” Jason snuggles closer. “What do you feel for him?”

“I have asked the divorce. It was me, not him. He was fading. I don’t know how to say this, but it wasn’t him anymore. He’s healed now.”

“You think he’ll get worse again.”

Tears burn in Nico’s eyes. “I don’t want him in Caere again.”

“But what does he want?”

Nico slips out of the blankets. “He clearly doesn’t know what’s better for him.”

As Nico calls Jules Albert, Jason leaves the bed, too. Nico paces around the room, until his manservant comes in, sitting him before the mirror. He starts brushing Nico’s tangled hair, and he barely keeps a grimace from his face.

“That’s a bit arrogant, don’t you think?” Jason asks. His voice is hard, but he has already cooled down a bit. “You can’t go around, deciding what’s better for everyone. You don’t always get to push people away.”

Nico glares at him in the mirror. “You’ve never even liked him.”

“I didn’t want him to hurt you! I love you, you’re the brother I’ve never had. Give him a chance, Nico.”

“We’ve had an annulment. I won’t go beg the council to take it back. Gods, we’d be real fools–”

“You’d want to marry him again.”

Nico shakes his head. “He’ll never come back to the co-Caere.”

“You weren’t saying Caere.” Jason puts his hands on his hips. More a mother’s pose than a brother’s.

“Stop it, Jason.”

“Tell me what you want to say.”

Nico tightens his hold on the armrest. Jason is stubborn enough to stand by him, even as the shadows melt from the walls. Nico swallows.

“Council. I was saying council. I don’t want him near the council, ever again.”

Jason drops on the bed again, and takes his face between his hands. “Maybe it’s him who should make this decision.”

“No.”

“We can’t control the ones we love.”

Nico has never thought he would feel so much like his Father, and that it would be so _bad_.

The clearing is filled with people, to the point that Will can’t move without bumping into someone. Most people are commoners, and Will knows every noble. It’s a smaller wedding than the one he’s had with Nico, but seeing how theirs ended, he hopes a small wedding will bring Annabeth and Percy more luck.

The groom is already at the altar. Nethunian weddings are different from Aitaens, they feel less stark, in Will’s opinion.

As the bride passes in the corridor between the people, Will can’t help but turn to Prince Nico. He is before the altar, between his sister and Jason. If they were still together, Will would be next to him.

“Does he only have black clothes?” Lady Clarisse whispers. Will elbows her in the ribs, and she sends him a death glare.

“They look good on him,” Chris responds.

If Clarisse weren’t between them, Will would elbow him. The ceremony is longer than Will would have liked to endure without a seat and under the sun, but at the end his eyes are burning with tears.

“Such a girl,” Clarisse says, passing him a napkin.

“Fuck off.”

As Clarisse laughs, nobles turn to glare at them. When Will realizes Prince Nico has turned too, he blushes a deep shade of red. How long will it be before the Prince forgets last night’s conversation?

During the procession to the new house, a hand is placed on Will’s arm, and when he turns, he finds himself hugged by Hazel. They haven’t had time to see each other yet, and yesterday Will couldn’t recognize her between the people with masks.

She smells of roses and cinnamon. It makes Will’s skin crawl with how much he’s missed her.

“Gods, I can’t believe you haven’t come by to say hello,” she says, breaking the hug.

Will misses her warmth, but he shrugs. “You haven’t either.”

Hazel smiles, with dimples on her cheeks. As they start walking again, Will tries to find Prince Nico, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

“So, how are your studies going?” Hazel asks.

“Good. It’s fun being a healer again. Well, not exactly fun, I’ve been studying a lot.”

They drop the colorful petals, the cheers of the crowd get louder by the second. Percy and Annabeth have been the major heroes of the war, no wonder everyone is so happy to see them finding their peace.

“My brother misses you beyond reason,” Hazel says, after some moments of silence.

Will glances at her from the corner of his eye. “He said so, yes.” As he remembers how fast last night’s conversation progressed, heat blossoms on his cheeks.

“Did he?” Hazel asks. “I heard him stumbling in the room late, last night. And this morning –he wasn’t exactly himself. He was rather–” she ponders her words for a moment, before a smile beams on her face. “Rather distracted, yes.”

“Is this your way of gossiping?” Will can’t help but laugh, as Hazel tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

She really is beautiful today, with her white ceremonial dress, golden jewelry, and the never missing smile. Her features are sweeter and softer than Nico’s, but there’s the same kind light in their eyes.

“I’m only worming my way into my brother’s love life.” Hazel shrugs, “Why can Jason participate, and I can’t?”

Will’s stomach drops. “Jason participates?” If Will had any hope before, now it’s all turned to ashes. “Jason hates me.”

“Jason hates anyone with a penis who goes close to Nico.”

“Wait, was there anyone else? Like –someone he hated for the same reason?”

Hazel huffs. “Let’s see… every single one of his potential suitors? In case you didn’t know, Jason was there at every single encounter.”

Will gives a half-hearted laugh. “What about now? Is he there again?”

Hazel purses her lips. As he follows her gaze, Will finds Prince Nico. He isn’t far from them, with Jason and Tyson by his side. As they talk, moving their hands in front of them, Prince Nico’s crown catches a sunray. Prince Nico turns to the side, giving a lopsided grin to Grover Underwood. When he laughs, his mouth widens.

“I haven’t seen him smiling like that in months,” Hazel continues. She puts her hand on Will’s elbow, anchoring him to reality. “He isn’t seeing any suitor yet. And I would much rather he didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because they aren’t you.”

Will stops, people pass around as smoothly as water. He puts his hand on Hazel’s shoulder, squeezing tightly. He is no Prince anymore, he shouldn’t touch her like this. As of now, he doesn’t feel close to reality.

“Hazel.” As he speaks, she shakes her head. She wipes away a few tears, sniffling. “You will find someone fit to be king, in the way I never was. Well, Nico will.”

Hazel snorts, but her heart is breaking just as much as Will’s. It’s clear in the crinkles by her eyes, and the way she refuses to meet Will’s gaze.

“He won’t make Nico quite as happy as you do. And he made you happy, too.”

Someone bumps into Will, and doesn’t even bother apologizing. He takes a deep breath. It feels like a new weight has been put on his shoulders.

“With time, everything will be alright. You’ll even forget I’ve ever been in Caere.”

Hazel widens her eyes, and punches Will in the shoulder. As he yelps, she puts her hands on her hips.

“How could you ever think that?” she asks. “Never, ever think I’ll forget you. You are my friend! I don’t care if–” She shakes her head, taking a deep breath. “I don’t care what the council says.”

Ahead, Prince Jason has started dropping petals on Prince Nico, whose face has turned red. Will’s heart jumps a beat.

“Yeah. I wish he didn’t care either.”

Percy carries Annabeth in the house. As they stand before the doors, he reveals her face from the veil. The crowd cheers when they share a chaste kiss, louder when Percy deepens it.

Nico finds himself cheering along everyone else, with no ill feeling in his heart. He registers it only after. It’s –it’s strange.

He’s never wishes unhappiness for Percy and Annabeth, but at the same time he couldn’t help the bitterness. They are his friends, but Percy was his crush. Is. Does Nico even like him? The doors have closed behind them, but if Nico recalls his face to his memory…

Gods. Good gods. What is happening to him? He turns to Jason, but he’s talking to Leo. They are wondering where Hazel is, since Frank is with them. Nico finds her a second later, many people behind them, her arm in Lord William’s.

Nico’s heart does a marathon in his chest. Will he ever forget Lord William’s words? No. He won’t. He will age and die, and if anyone asked him, he could still smell the salt in the air, and Lord William’s soft voice, whispering to his ears and heart.

_Do you have a crush on Prince William?_

Jason puts his hand on Nico’s arm, startling him. For all Nico tries to straighten it his tilted crown, it keeps falling on his right ear.

“Is everything alright?” Jason asks.

Nico blinks. Lord William is smiling to something Hazel has said, but his eyes are far away. He never looks in Nico’s direction.

Nico wets his lips. “I think –I need some air.”

Understanding fills Jason’s eyes, as Nico turns and crosses the crowd. His guards move right behind him, and he tries his best to ignore them. When he arrives at the beach, he dismisses them. He walks for more than an hour, or maybe it’s just that he’s tired, and time seems to be stretching on forever.

When he reaches a rocky part of the shore, he climbs the rocks, and falls on one of them. He wishes he weren’t on the shores of this sea, but on those of the lake in Delphi, taking a breath with Lord William. Delphi probably was the start of their friendship.

Nico rubs his eyes, sitting with his legs hanging in the air. If he jumped from here, would he be able to reach the beach on his own? He almost thinks of doing it.

“I thought I might find you here.”

Nico turns so fast, his neck screams in pain. Hissing, he nods in acknowledgment to Piper. She sits beside him, her gowns brush against his thigh.

“So, do you like my suit?” Nico asks. “I was thinking of saving it for yours and Jason’s wedding, but the invitation hasn’t come yet.”

She shoves his shoulder, and a giggle escapes Nico’s mouth. His hand drops on his lap, as Piper takes a flat rock, and throws it on the sea. It does three skips before drowning.

“What about my dress? I’ll save it for your next marriage.”

Nico makes a grimace. His rock only makes two jumps. “Yeah, just a tip. Seeing how long the first one lasted, I’d recommend spending very little on the gift.”

“I’ll always spend too much for you, you know me.” She squeezes his shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“About what?”

Piper shrugs. “Leaving Will?”

Nico bites his lips. “I actually don’t, but I think –I think I’m going crazy. Yesterday he told me he loved me. That he still does.”

Piper puts her hands on her mouth. “Gods. What did you tell him?”

“Nothing. He just –he got up and left, after I stayed in silence. I didn’t know what to say. I keep replaying the conversation in my head, and I–” He takes a deep breath, his voice trembles. “I can’t believe him.”

“Did he ask for the divorce?”

“Annulment. And no. I did.”

“You’ve never told me why.”

“He wasn’t happy. I could see it. He says –I think it may have been my fault. You know how I was before and during the war? I wasn’t happy.”

She puts her hand on Nico’s knee. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”

“He was the same. I thought he missed home, and that he wasn’t happy because of me. And that last part, he basically confirmed it last night.”

Maybe it’s because they’re close to the sea, but guilt feels like salt. How many times has Lord William cried himself to sleep for Nico’s faults?

Piper pulls him back to reality. “Nico, what did he say? What were his words?”

“He said he had a crush on me, for years. During the wedding, he understood he loves –loved– me when I said my vows, but instead of looking at him I–” Nico closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. When he speaks, his throat is on fire. “I was looking at Percy. He understood he loved me, and I Percy.”

Piper gasps. “It must have been horrible for him, I know. But it’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is!” Without noticing, he raises his voice. “For a stupid crush, I couldn’t love my husband! I –it’s sick, it’s fucking sick.”

“You are many things, but you are not sick. We can’t control whom we love.”

“It’s a mess. It’s just –it’s a mess.” His voice breaks, and there’s fire in his throat. “Now I’m not even sure I like Percy anymore.”

“Would that be a problem?” She furrows her eyebrows. “You like someone else, don’t you?”

Nico bites his lips. “I don’t know.”

“I think you do. Whom is it? Someone you can’t marry?”

“I don’t want to get married!”

“Why?”

“Because I already was, and I screwed up! That’s why. And the council, everything –I’m not my Father.” He moves his hands in the air, the silver wristbands cling against one another. “I can’t manage being both Prince and husband. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, why I can’t divide between Prince Nico and simply Nico. I don’t know where to draw the line. Sometimes, it’s like I am my Father. Controlling the ones I care about. I’m –I don’t want to be like him. I don’t want to put others in a cage.”

“Marriage is not a cage. It’s caring about someone, living with them, and sharing your happiness with them. It’s loving someone every day of your life. Choosing to love them.” She takes a deep breath, smoothing the wrinkles in her gowns. Her cheeks are red, and Nico feels heat in his, too. “Whom do you like, Nico?”

_What are you so afraid of?_

Nico’s heart bumps in his chest. For a few moments, that’s the only sound beside that of the waves below them. How strong they crash against the rocks. The smell brings Nico back to yesterday night. If he were there now, what would he tell Lord William?

Nico searches on the horizon for the answer, but the only place he finds it, is inside himself. Piper’s eyes are patient when Nico’s meet them.

“It’s stupid, really.” He takes a deep breath, trying to keep his head above water. “A ridiculous idea Reyna has put in my head.”

When she speaks, Piper’s voice is soft and soothing. It’s not difficult to see why so many people fall for her.

“Reyna doesn’t often have ridiculous ideas.”

“Sometimes, even she can be wrong.” Nico stumbles on his words. How easier it would be to speak his dialect now. “She –I thought my powers were reacting to Lord William’s. If I think about it now, it sounds even more stupid than it already did. I thought his powers were trying to kill me. I described the symptoms, and she asked me –she thought I had a crush on Lord William.”

“And she was wrong.”

“She was.”

Piper clears her throat. “These symptoms, what were they?”

“My skin tickling if we touched. Something warm in my chest any time he looked at me. The feeling of always longing for more.” He sniffles. “I don’t remember them all.”

That’s not a lie, but it’s not the truth either. Nico wouldn’t be able to list them all in the same order he did to Reyna, but when he closes his eyes, they all come back to him. He remembers exactly what Lord William did to him.

“I don’t think Reyna was right. I don’t think you have a crush on Lord William. I won’t tell you what I think, for you already know, and I don’t want you to tell anyone but him first.”

Nico shakes his head. Melancholy tastes like Delphi’s lemon cake on his tongue. “It’s not so easy.”

“It never is. It also shouldn’t be so hard, but you princes are a melodramatic bunch, aren’t you?” She wipes her hand on her cheek, and it’s only now that Nico realizes there are tears in her eyes. She huffs. “I have the powers of love, Nico. Things like these get to me, okay?”

She laughs, and Nico laughs with her. It doesn’t fill the hole in his heart, but it’s a beginning.

“Do you doubt your feelings?”

Nico furrows his eyebrows. “I don’t really know. I think it has conditioned me into seeing Lord William in a certain way, you know? Like, before Reyna asked me if I had a crush on him, I –” _What are you so afraid of?_ “I didn’t want to kiss him. I saw his beauty, I’m not blind. And I knew his hair would look so soft, if he washed that damn gel out. I wanted to spend time with him, but we’re –were, I guess, friends. When I held his hand, it was for practical motives. For example, we had to cross a river. Or we had to shadow travel. And –I don’t know. I liked it, but…”

Nico doesn’t know how to continue. Heat burns on his cheeks, and there is no relief under the setting sun.

“Everything you tell me, I won’t say to anyone else without your permission. I know how important privacy is for you.”

Nico chuckles. “I meant to say, that I –I’m just lying, aren’t I? I’m greedy. Whatever Lord William gave me, I always craved for more.”

“It doesn’t make you greedy. It makes you someone who is –feels, something very strong for someone else. But that’s not the only thing stopping you, is it?”

“It’s just –he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t see that he doesn’t love me.”

“And you know this because…?”

“Because I know myself. How could someone like him love me?” Nico almost laughs. “I can understand being friends. I can understand the crush. But love? Love is too much for people like me.”

“People like you. People like you are wonderful, Nico. You are a good brother, and a good Prince. A Prince who cares for his people, even when he believes they hate him. Not only your people, but everyone. I am still amazed that you rescued us during the war. You are nothing but kind and generous. If I had to pick someone to love instead of Jason, I would love you. I can totally see why Will has fallen so hard for you.”

“So hard?”

Piper sniffles, and Nico really hopes she isn’t about to break down crying. “I’ve known for years. It was in his eyes, every time he looked at you, like you had hung the stars for him.”

It shouldn’t feel like such a blow in the chest.

“I’ve been awful to him.”

“Just because you’ve loved someone else–”

Nico blocks her words with a raised hand. “I didn’t love Percy. I liked him. It’s different. I –I see it now.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. But –I’m going to get my heart broken, aren’t I?”

Piper’s hand drops from his knee. “I don’t think Will could ever break your heart intentionally.”

Nico shakes his head. “He may think he loves me now. Three, four months, and I’ll go back to being Prince Nico. Never just Nico.”

“Do you think he loves you for your crown?” Pain is real in her voice. Does she think Nico pathetic? “Oh, darling. He didn’t marry you to become king. If anything, he’d become king to marry you.”

“That’s –I don’t think so. He may think he loves me now, but in time he’ll see he was wrong. It’s just an infatuation.”

Piper shrugs. “I don’t agree with you. In time, you’ll regret not taking the chance of being happy with him. Talk to Lord William, tell him what you feel.”

“It wouldn’t do any good. We are divorced, Piper.” What a bitter word. May anyone who invented it be damned. “Does nobody see it?”

“We do see it, believe me. For the love of the gods, just talk to him. He deserves to know the truth.”

Nico tries to talk to Lord William, but life is keeping them apart. During dinner, they sit at the opposite sides of the hall. During the dance, Nico has to dance with nobles he doesn’t know so much as the name of. A woman introduces him to her daughter, in hope they’ll “get to know each other,” as though it isn’t known that Nico only likes men.

To make it all worse, Lord William is even more gorgeous than usual, with his light curls and smiling expression. That being said, his eyes are empty, and Nico wishes to fill them with joy. It’s the same old longing in his chest, and how has he not realized sooner? What a fool he’s been.

It’s late when Nico manages to go talk to Lord William. There’s a bad storm outside, and he has no hope of Lord William wanting to be alone with him.

Nico clears his throat, and Lord William turns to face with a smile. When he realizes it’s Nico, tension falls on his shoulders.

“Your Highness,” Lord William says, bowing his head.

Nico fidgets with the hem of his sleeve. He opens his mouth, but how can he talk freely in front of Lady Clarisse, who seems to want to kill him?

“Can we talk?” he asks. “Alone.”

Lord William purses his mouth. He turns to Lady Clarisse. “If you’ll excuse–”

“I’d much rather you weren’t left alone with him,” she responds. Nico has heard many stories of her, and has seen her fight during the war. One would be a fool to put themselves against her.

Irritation burns hot in Nico’s veins. He straightens his back, raising an eyebrow. “I am Prince, I am not asking for your permission, my lady.”

“Do not think you can talk to me–”

“Can you two not do this here?” Lord William snaps. His cheeks are red, and before Nico can talk again, he raises a hand. “I want to talk to you, but there are way too many people here. We can’t be seen–”

“They can all go to Hell for all I care. I want to speak to you.”

“One doesn’t always get what he wants,” Lady Clarisse says.

Nico holds his hand on the flute so hard, it’s a surprise it doesn’t shatter. “I’ll remind you, your brother is still working for my family.”

Lady Clarisse’s cheeks turn red. “Be sure, your sister will never marry my brother.”

“Are you sure?” Nico tilts his head to the side. He hates himself right now, but the words don’t stop leaving his mouth. “Last time I checked, she was Princess of Aita, and your brother second born of a lord.”

Lady Clarisse takes a step forward, her fists so tight they’ll break Nico’s jaw.

A hand is put on Nico’s shoulder. When he turns, he finds Percy right behind him.

“I’ll just steal him for a moment,” Percy says. He drags Nico away, and doesn’t stop until the music is only a background noise under the storm, and they are standing on a roofed balcony.

Nico takes a deep breath. When he leans against the wall, his shirt turns wet. _Trust Nepthunians architects to do a good job_. The door opens after them, and Annabeth appears. Her dress is beautiful, she looks more goddess than Princess.

“You have caused quite the scene,” she says, crossing her arms on the chest.

Percy gives her a kiss on the cheek, and she huffs. “Just Neeks here and Clarisse, they were starting a fight.”

“Don’t _ever_ call me that.”

“What were you discussing about?” Percy asks. “I saw you going there, so… you started it.”

“I didn’t start a single thing. I wanted to talk to Lord William, and she was being a –well, she didn’t want me to.”

Annabeth tilts her head to the side, and her golden curls brush against her tan shoulders. “You wanted to speak to your ex-husband.”

Nico crosses his arms on the chest. “We –we are kind of friends.”

“That reassures me,” Percy says, with a blank expression. “Really.”

Annabeth elbows him. “Clarisse can be protective of her friends.”

“And I may have threatened to fire her brother or worse, but really, it’s in the past now.”

Percy furrows his eyebrows. “It was, what, five minutes ago?”

“And she said Frank wouldn’t marry Hazel, so–” Nico stops for a few moments. “Fuck. I think I screwed up.” He sits on the marble floor, wetting his whole body. Jules-Albert is going to kill him, if he doesn’t do so himself.

Percy and Annabeth sit behind him, one on either side. He takes his head between his hands.

“Clarisse –she’ll forgive you,” Percy says. “Especially if Lord William puts in a good word for him. Plus, I don’t think anyone could stop Hazel and Frank from getting married.”

“Yeah, that’s a _relief_.”

Annabeth elbows Nico. “You know, you can’t steal all the attention away from us on our wedding day.”

Nico snorts. “I’m not.”

Percy puts his arm around Nico’s shoulders, which annoys him beyond reason. “You are. Your star-crossed lovers thing is really catchy. I will admit, I am waiting for your next move, too.”

Nico shrugs Percy’s arm off. “Fuck off.”

“Come on, Neeks!” Percy laughs, with that stupid grin of his on. He puts his arm back on Nico’s shoulders. “You’ve got to tell us everything.”

Nico shots to his feet. “Bloody Hell, keep those stupid hands to yourself and stop calling me that, for fuck’s–” For a moment, he doesn’t find any word, stopping his pacing. “Fuck’s sakes. For fuck’s sakes.”

“Everything alright?” Percy asks. He has his eyebrows furrowed, and it doesn’t look cute. Nor hot.

Nico laughs, a huge weight disappears from his chest. “I’m really alright. More than that.”

As she tilts her head to the side, Annabeth smiles. “Want to tell us what makes you so happy?”

“I’ve been in denial for so long, I hadn’t even realized it was over.” He looks at Percy, and his stomach crawls a little. He doesn’t lose his courage. He clasps his hands before his lap. “You see, I’ve had a crush on you for years. Literally. Now I see it. You are cute, don’t get me wrong, and don’t get offend just –not my type of cute? You just –you don’t make my heart jump in my chest.”

“You had a crush on me.”

“Yeah, we’ve been over that already.” Nico takes a deep breath, putting his hands in his pockets. “So, I guess I’m done here.”

Annabeth raises her hand. Nico has a brief hesitation before high-fiving her. On his way out, Percy asks Annabeth what Nico meant by ‘crush’.

Maybe Nico will even have a nice night of sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so we're closer than ever to the end  
> i thought this would be the last chapter, but here we are   
> the next will be though, and if you want a spoiler, the title is going to be in italian  
> that's not much of a spoiler more like a promise  
> tell me what you think in the comments  
> also if you want to find me on tumblr, i'll drop my username sooner or later


	11. certi amori fanno giri immensi, poi ritornano

Nico was wrong.

He’s thought he would have a nice night sleep tonight, but it seems to have been a fool’s hope. He can’t close his eyes without waking up, sweaty, with no memory of a dream, and desperate to find Lord William. Is he in danger? Is this the way of the gods to tell Nico to check on him?

When he was younger, there were nights in which Nico couldn’t sleep without checking whether Hazel was breathing. He’s never told anyone, and it stopped years ago.

Why is it happening again now? And why with Lord William? The answer lingers in the shadows of Nico’s room. It’ll be quick. Lord William won’t even notice him.

So Nico stands, and wraps himself in the shadows. When he opens his eyes again, he is in another room. Cold air enters from an open window, and when Nico closes it, he sees Lord William’s yellow shirt on the desk. He doesn’t keep a tab on Lord William’s shirts of course, but the yellow one… Nico has mocked him about it for weeks when he first saw it.

The fabric is soft under his hesitant fingers. It smells of Delphi, and hours passed under the sun.

“Your Highness?”

Nico jumps out of his skin. When he turns, Lord William is in the door frame. The sun gems lighten him, giving his damp hair fire-like reflections. Large nightclothes hang over his lean frame.

For an eternity and more, Nico doesn’t fine any word, and gasps as a fish. “Lord William.”

Lord William blinks, surprise and confusion wash over his face. Exhaustion wins, and he sits on his bed. When he leaves the sun gems on the nightstand, they burn brighter.

“Why are you here?” Lord William crosses his legs, covering his lap with the blankets. “If you want to talk about last night–”

“I’m sorry about Lady Clarisse.” Saying such words is a blow to his ego and pride, but he ignores it as best as he can. “And I shouldn’t have said those things about sir Sherman.”

Lord William tucks a curl behind his ear. His hands are shaking. Is he cold? Is he sick? As Nico walks to the bed, the room sways under his feet.

“You weren’t so wrong about him,” Lord William says. His voice is hoarse. When Nico stops beside the other side of the bed, Lord William’s blue eyes are covered by a layer of tears. “He asked me if I wanted to be courted by him.”

Nico has never felt so many strong emotions at once. If the ground cracked open under him, skeletons appeared, and the shadows melted from the walls to choke him, he wouldn’t be surprised. It doesn’t happen. He stumbles on his own feet, and the bed bounces under his fall.

He would breathe, if he remembered how. Marriage. Fuck. Just yesterday, he was thinking of how sir Sherman would have to ask him Lord William’s hand, and now –what can he do? If they love each other –but Lord William doesn’t. He said he loves Nico. Unless he was as wrong as Nico thought.

Nico holds Lord William’s hand. He doesn’t startle, he doesn’t do anything, apart from watching Nico, until his eyes are the only thing Nico remembers ever seeing.

“Please–” Nico’s voice is broken, and there no moisture on his tongue. “Please don’t marry him.”

Lord William is closer than he was moments before, maybe he has come closer, or maybe it was Nico. However, he has no intention of putting distance between them.

Lord William looks at his eyes as though searching for answers. Does he find them? Does he read the heartbreak in the lines of his face?

“You didn’t ask me what I said.”

“You said you love me.” Is it normal for words to have claws, that rip his throat apart? “If that was the truth, you told him no.”

“I did. I don’t want to marry him. He is closer to a brother than a lover.”

A huge weight is lifted from Nico’s shoulders. He leans forward, and places his lips on Lord William’s. For a few, glorious moments, the world is only the two of them. There are no crowns nor expectations. It’s only the taste of Delphi’s lemons on Lord William’s tongue, the perfume of peace, and the fast rhythm of their tongue.

That is, until Lord William puts his hand on Nico’s chest. Nico isn’t proud of the protesting whine that escapes his mouth. Lord William’s eyes are half closed, and his breath just as heavy as Nico’s.

“Don’t do this out of pity,” Lord William says. He wets his lips, do they taste like Nico? Does it bother him? “Don’t kiss me just because I love you.”

Nico blinks. How can words so often feel like a punch?

“I’m not. I swear, I don’t pity you. I’ve been thinking about it, about everything, and –I don’t want you to remarry.” Nico swallows Lord William’s taste. “I don’t want _me_ to remarry.”

Lord William leans back, but he can’t conceal the long in his eyes. “Then why did you go through with the annulment? Why talking of divorce in the first place?”

Nico brushes his thumb on Lord William’s knuckles. Lord William’s breath is caught in his throat, and Nico finds it hard to swallow.

“You weren’t happy. Do you remember it? You didn’t talk. You didn’t even look at me.” His voice breaks on the last words. “I thought you hated me.”

“I could never hate you.” Lord William shakes his head again. “You sent me away.”

“Would you have rather staying with the council? They –I don’t want you to be forbidden healing. The things the council does… I can’t always stop them. I don’t want you to be the aftermath of that.”

“I already am. You couldn’t stop the wedding.”

If Nico listened to his instincts, he’d be shadow traveling away now. Somewhere far enough to outrun the hurt.

“No, no, no. I didn’t –I thought a marriage between us –I didn’t want you to marry me, but I didn’t mind marrying you.”

“I’m confused.”

“You are…” Nico gestures to him. “And I am…” As he gestures to himself, Lord William’s confusion seems to grow.

Lord William brushes a hand in his hair, and it’s still trembling as a leaf against the wind. “You’re only making excuses, you realize that, right? Whatever you want to say, just blurt it out. This is getting tiring.”

“I don’t want you back in Caere. The council will ruin you again.”

“You think –fuck.” For a moment, understanding clouds Lord William’s eyes. “Listen, I honestly don’t care about the council. The only reason I did what they told me, was because I thought it would make you stop hating me.”

“I didn’t hate you!”

“But you disliked me. Before we started becoming friends, you –every time I opened my mouth, you glared at me, until I stayed in silence. Even when I just had my hair curly, you would stare at it like you wanted to take some scissors and cut it all out. I didn’t –I didn’t know what you wanted me to be.”

“I want you to be yourself. Do you want the truth?” When Lord William nods, Nico takes a deep breath. He squeezes Lord William’s hand. “You do things to me, and it annoyed me to no end. When you talked back to the council, I was jealous you were brave enough to do so, because I’m not, not always, especially when I care a lot about the matter.”

Nico stays silent for a moment, and raises his other hand to Lord William’s hair. He twirls a curl around his finger. Another deep breath, and he’s talking again.

“Your hair, I love it when it’s curly. It’s soft, and you have no idea what it looks like under the sun. To me, it’s more of a halo than hair. I don’t glare at it, I just constantly wish to run my fingers through it, and make it even messier.”

It’s hard to ignore the knot in his chest. He’s never been one to talk freely, even when he was little, before years of trauma started weighing on him, choking him with the help of the crown.

Has he done it? Has he ruined every last chance he had with Lord William? He should have shut up. He knows better than being a naïve boy who only listens to his heart.

Ever so slowly, a smile spreads on Lord William’s face, as the sun that appears after a cloudy day. “Then why don’t you do it?”

Nico isn’t one to refuse a challenge.

When Will wakes up, it’s still raining outside. The window is closed, and the fire is roaming in the fireplace, but it’s not that which keeps him warm. It’s the body entangled in his, of Prince Nico.

Prince Nico’s head is on Will’s chest. His hair smells of pomegranate, and it tickles Will’s nose. When he moves, Prince Nico makes a half grunt, and tightens his hold on him.

There are only a few things which could make Will happier. For example, if this moment lasted forever, he would be the happiest man alive. Unluckily, that’s impossible.

“I can hear you think from here,” Prince Nico says. He puts his naked leg between Will’s, making him shiver all over, and uses his elbows as leverage to stand.

His necklace falls on Will’s chest. The pendant is the Prince’s wedding ring, a golden band with a black gem. A warm caress on Will’s skin.

Prince Nico’s hair are a mess, Will’s must be the same. When Prince Nico grins, something stirs in Will.

“What’s making you so thoughtful?”

Will wants to kiss the grin off the Prince’s face, instead he brushes his thumb on the Prince’s cheekbone. “What do we do from here?”

Prince Nico turns his face, and kisses Will’s wrist. Will’s breath is caught in his throat, and anything the Prince wants, he knows he’ll give. If he were standing, he’d drop to his knees.

“What do you want to do from here? The divorce was my idea. Maybe it’s time I listen to you.”

Will almost laughs. “Gods, aren’t you right for once?” Prince Nico pinches the skin of his hip, and Will arches his back. “I –I don’t really know what to do.”

The Prince raises his eyebrow, a perfect dark arch. “You know what you want. So tell me.”

Will takes a deep breath. Prince Nico puts his chin on Will’s chest, dropping his weight on him. Will puts his hands on the Prince’s hips.

His hopes are boyish, this he can admit to himself. “I can’t have what I want.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.” When Will doesn’t respond, the Prince raises on his elbows again. “I promise you.”

As if to validate his promise, he kisses Will, deeply and slowly. When their lips are still brushing against one another, and Will is sure he’ll never breathe again, the Prince asks:

“Was this a onetime thing, for you?”

Will almost laughs. “Remember me saying I’ve been in love with you for years, Your Highness?”

Prince Nico nods. “We can drop the titles, especially after tonight.” His eyes search in Will’s, with the curiosity of astrologists when they look at the night sky. “And I think you should come home.”

Will finds himself kissing the –Nico again. Will kisses Nico. As he inverts their positions, he can’t help but agree.

It must be past midday when Nico wakes up again. Will’s hand is in his hair, but he fell asleep before Nico.

Nico yawns, stretching his back without letting go of Will’s warm body.

“The guards must be searching up and down for you,” Will says. His voice is hoarse, but he smiles as a child.

Nico doesn’t even try to stop the blossoming in his chest. He has found, it hurts much less to let it be. “If my friends have any brain at all, they’ll know I’m here.”

When Will laughs, the sound vibrates against Nico’s cheek. “If Jason knew, I would be in the dungeons by now.”

Nico smiles against his chest, kissing it lightly. Will’s hairs stand straight. “You may be right. I wouldn’t let him, though.”

How much of an effect does Nico have on him? And why does he like it so much?

“You could just come down there with me.”

Nico snorts. “He has no power here. And Piper would stop him. She cried when I talked to her about you.” Plus, Nico can raise an army of skeleton whenever he wishes.

“You talked with her of me?”

“She has powers on love, I needed help.” Nico caresses Will’s side with his fingertip, until Will makes a strangled sound. “Sometimes, if there aren’t enough people telling me something, I can get confused and do the worst thing.”

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed before.”

Nico raises to his elbows, to kiss Will soundly. Against his lips, he speaks again. “Do you want to know why I’ve never called you _Prince_ William?” Will nods, and heat burns on Nico’s skin. “Every time I heard it, my mouth went dry.”

Will laughs. “You know, you’re talkative today.”

He tucks a strand of hair behind Nico’s ear, and Nico leans in the warmth of his hand. If he could stay like this forever, sheltered in Will’s warmth, he would. Does it make him weak? He doesn’t feel so. He feels stronger next to Will.

“Can I ask you something?” Will asks. His eyes are hesitant, and it doesn’t go away when Nico nods. “Is there any hope for this after now?”

Nico takes a deep breath. It tastes of Will. “If there isn’t, I’ll make it. How difficult can it be to annul an annulment?”

Will bites his inferior lip, and it takes all of Nico’s will not to do it himself. “I’ve never heard of something like that before.”

“No one’s ever made me feel what you make me feel,” Nico reveals. It feels like having his heart open for everyone to see, but until the everyone is Will, the act feels satisfactory. “I swear, I’ll fight for you.”

Will’s breath is caught in his throat, and the ghost of a smile plays on his lips. “Thank you.”

“I want you to come home. When your studies are done, if you still want it–”

“I will.”

Nico laughs, as Will’s cheeks grow redder. “If you’ll still want it–”

“Don’t play dumb.” Will pinches his belly, making him yelp. “You’re not getting out of this again.”

Something warmer than the sun blossoms in Nico’s chest. “Thank the gods.” He captures Will’s lips in a kiss, with no tongue, or he knows they won’t speak again for another long while. “When you’ll be done with your studies, you’ll come home to me.”

Will takes him by surprise, and changes their position, so that Nico’s back is against the mattress. His face is centimeters away from Nico’s. Nico places his hands on Will’s hips, but Will takes his left hand, and intertwines their fingers. He puts their joined hands between their chests.

“If you still have any doubt about this, tell me now.”

Nico blinks. “I have a thousand doubts. But I know I love you, and you love me. I want to be happy with you. I will choose it every day.” He sits, and brings Will up with him. With his lips brushing against their joined hands, he speaks again. “I know I messed up last time I told you my vows. So, let me tell you again.”

Will tilts his head to the side. Does he know his eyes shine brighter than the stars? “Nico, that’s sweet, but you don’t have to.”

In the back of his mind, Nico knows he’s never smiled so softly at anyone. His lips are not used to this position, and he is not used to love someone so fully.

“You’re right. I don’t have to, but I want. Can I?” Will nods, and Nico takes a deep breath. Nineteen years, and he’s never wanted to be close to someone so much. “I, Nico of House Pluto, born from the Angels, take thee as my wedded husband. From this day, to the last of my life, I shall be the night sky on which your stars shine. All which is mine to give, I pledge to you. Take this crown, and be King of my heart. So I’ll be to yours.”

Will’s breath caresses Nico’s face. When he kisses Nico again, fireworks explode under Nico’s skin. Has he ever felt so alive before?

“Will you take me as your husband again?” Nico asks. His lips brush against Will’s, and Will puts his forehead against Nico’s.

He could ask Nico to take the moon to him, and Nico would. Ask him to renounce his crown, and everything he is. It’s a scary thought, but it also brings a new kind of warmth in Nico.

“I’ll think about it,” he says. He smiles, with all the beauty Nico has never seen anywhere else.

When he was younger, he’d been surprised to see the sunflowers that grew in Persephone’s gardens. He asked her about them, as he’d never seen such tall flowers before. And they looked so strange, too. She told him that they always looked for the sun, but if they couldn’t find it, they turned to one another. Now, he wishes to give an entire field of sunflowers to Will, and for everyone to call them Prince William’s flowers.

“Why are you smiling so much?” Will asks, brushing his knuckles on Nico’s jawline.

_You’re my sunflower,_ he would reply, if he hadn’t already said many ridiculous things today.

“I’m just happy,” he says instead. It isn’t a lie.

Will stretches, and his hand slips through Nico’s. He yawns loudly. “We haven’t eaten today.”

Nico nods. “Yeah, go get me something.”

Will shakes his head. “We’re not home. We can’t order servants around.”

“Watch me.”

Before Will can stop him, Nico slips out of bed. He puts on Will’s ugly yellow shirt, and the pants he was wearing yesterday night. He opens the door, and rings the bell next to the door.

“I’m not wearing anything!” Will exclaims, throwing himself back under the blankets.

Nico laughs, until a servant comes. When she takes in Nico, her eyes widen, and she stumbles on the stairs.

“Your Highness,” she says, bowing deeply.

“Please, stand. We were wondering whether you could bring us something to eat.”

“Of course, sire.”

She runs away before Nico can thank her. He turns back to Will, to find him with a frown that doesn’t quite seem fixed in place.

Nico goes back to the bed, crawling to take Will’s hand between his own. Has he already ruined this?

“She could have seen me naked,” Will says.

Nico’s memory goes back to the servant girl in Delphi, how deeply she would blush anytime Will so much as smiled in her direction.

“You’re right. I’ll think before acting next time.”

Will looks at him in the eyes, before laugh shake his whole body. “I think this is the first time someone is jealous with me.”

Nico’s jaw drops. “First time? Do I need to remind you of the whole sir Sherman thing?”

Will blinks. “No way.”

“Yes way. I mean, I wasn’t exactly jealous.” Nico bites his lips. “I was just annoyed by his presence.”

Will’s eyes are shining so much, Nico could let the argument drop. “I think that’s what jealous means.”

Nico pinches his shoulder. “You didn’t even notice, so don’t act smart now.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice.”

“You did! Everyone did, actually. Maybe I was a bit jealous, just the tiniest bit.” He snorts, in a dignified princely manner. “You always said I was a dick.” He crosses his arms on the chest.

“An ass, I’d never say you are a dick.” Will tucks a strand of hair behind Nico’s ear, and his hand lingers on Nico’s shoulder, his thumb brushes on his collarbone. Sparks are sent everywhere in Nico’s body. “I just –I don’t understand why you’d be jealous.”

Nico almost laughs. He brushes his finger under Will’s chin. “Have you seen you? And it’s not just that you’re gorgeous, but –I really meant it, when I said you have a beautiful soul. You never need a reason to be kind, and you’re not some dumbass. Even my Father likes you, and he doesn’t even like his own children most of the time.”

Will brings his hands to his mouth. “Fuck. I didn’t think of your Father.”

Nico laughs. “That’s all I get for squeezing my heart for you?”

“Oh, no, I’ll use everything you said against you every time you insult me. But what will your Father say?” Will shakes his head. His words are muffled by his hands, but he doesn’t seem to care. “And the servants! You’ve basically just told the entire palace we’ve spent the night together.”

“Is it something you’re ashamed of?”

“No, of course not! But it will reach the council, and–” He waves his hands in the air, widening his eyes even more.

“After what the council has done to you, I really don’t care about their opinion. What I care about, is for you to find a place in Caere.”

“By your side.”

“Of course. But I was thinking, you should be a healer again. We’re not in the war, so you won’t be treating deadly mutilations, hopefully.” Nico chuckles, nervous as he often is around Will. “But you’re learning a lot of new things, and we don’t have any type of school for healers in Caere.”

Nico knows he said the right thing when Will kisses him again, and doesn’t stop until there’s a knock at the door. The servant girl must understand what she’s just interrupted, for she flees the room.

Neither Nico nor Will can help but burst out laughing.

Nico and Will squeeze in the same seat outside, and share a blanket. The sun is finally showing, but it won’t be long before sunset. Nico kisses Will’s temple, and summons a skeleton to bring them the fruit they’ve left inside.

“You’re so lazy,” Will says.

Nico snorts. “I wasn’t in bed all day by myself, I’ll remind you.”

Will’s body is between Nico’s legs, with Nico’s chest against his back. Whenever he breathes, Will’s perfume fills his nose. He kisses Will’s temple again.

“I’m happy,” Will says, out of the blue.

At his words, Nico’s chest squeezes tight. Gods. He’s making Will happy. He? Nico?

“To be with me?” he asks, just because he’s never dense enough.

Will nods. “Of course. With this weather, I can’t be happy about much else. But you make me happy. You have for a while.”

Nico laughs, as tears tickle in his eyes. “You have low standards.”

“You are Crown Prince of Aita, and the Ghost King. I’d say _you_ have low standards.”

Nico has had enough confirmations during the night and the day, to laugh of Will’s joke on his status. “I want to name something after you,” he says. “What about a lake? Has anyone ever gifted you a lake?”

Will turns, putting his elbow on Nico’s knee. His eyes are wide, but the corner of his mouth are turned upwards. “You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not. Do you not want a lake?”

“What–” Will narrows his eyes. “Can you actually do that?”

Nico nods. “I was thinking of a field, earlier. But now I want to give you a lake. Is that alright?”

“You want to give me a lake.”

“I want to name it after you, _then_ give it to you.”

Will laughs against Nico’s lips, and Nico can’t help but join him.

Will twirls a strand of Nico’s hair around his finger. “You’re –don’t you ever try to tell me you are a selfish prince, not after you want to open a school for me, and give me a lake.”

Heat creeps up Nico’s cheeks. “I want you have nice things.”

“Then we should also have a dog. I’ve always wanted one, and my Father has never let me.”

“Okay. My Father has a three headed dog, but what would you like? Keep in mind that Cerberus can’t have kids.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate, but if we had a three headed dog, I wouldn’t have enough hands to pet him with. So…” He thinks for a moment, before shrugging. It’s such a small thing, but Nico’s stomach knots. “Actually, every dog is fine with me.”

“What about a skeleton dog?”

“Can it run after a stick and bring it back?”

Nico bites his cheek, before nodding. “Sure.”

“Then it’s more than fine with me.”

Nico laughs again, until reality comes crashing down on them, in the form of shouts coming from the inside. Nico squeezes Will’s knee.

“Good thing we got dressed,” he whispers, because one is never too careful. “I think that’s Jason.”

His suspicions are confirmed when the glass door opens, and Jason places himself in front of them. He’s followed closely by Reyna, Piper, Hazel and Leo.

Leo whistles lowly. “What a mess you’ve made with those blankets.” He gestures to the inside, and maybe it’s time he’s thrown in Tartarus, after all.

Heat spreads on Nico’s neck and cheeks. “So, you’re here to stay?”

“We should have asked that to your annulment,” Jason comments, crossing his arms on the chest. “How do you explain _this_?”

Reyna puts a hand on Jason’s arm. “Maybe we should let them get dressed.”

Nico clears his throat. “We are dressed.”

“Are you entangled together, then?” Piper asks, tilting her head to the side.

Will groans, brushing a hand through his hair. His blond curls bounce under his touch, and Nico is intoxicated by his perfume. He places a kiss on the base of Will’s neck. Will leans further into Nico. He’s warm and soft, and Nico swears he’ll protect him forever. He kisses the back of Will’s neck again, then-

Hazel clears her throat, startling Nico.

“Still here,” Leo comments, waving his hand.

The tip of Will’s ears turns red. “We should go to the living room inside.”

“Good idea. We’ll go ahead,” Reyna says. “You two should wear something less–” She gestures to them.

_Less of a blanket? Less informal?_

“Something less?” Leo asks. “They’re naked already!”

It takes all of Reyna’s willpower not to throw him down the balcony, and Nico appreciates her efforts.

“Are you nervous?” Nico asks, as he tries on a pair of Will’s pants.

Will shrugs, although his stomach is so tightly knotted, he will never eat again. “I hope you’ll protect me from Jason’s wrath.” He is only half-joking.

Nico laughs. When he notices Will’s expression, he stops. He crosses the room, and takes Will’s hand between his own. When his lips brush on Will’s fingers, the rest of the world fades far away.

“He won’t get within two meters of you,” he says.

Will shakes his head. “I have a confession to make.” He takes a deep breath, and Nico’s eyes grow wider. “I can’t use the metric system.”

Nico’s smile is as blinding as the first rays of sun after the Aitaen storm they have endured together in the stables. “You’re such a dork.”

The door opens, and Leo wanders in the room, with a hand covering his eyes. “No funny business, I hope! Jason’s growing impatient.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Just get lost, Valdez.” He tugs Will out of the room after him.

Will’s knees are going to give out, but if this is what it takes for him to get back with Nico, then he’ll have to endure it.

For a few, blessed minutes, Hazel and Piper make small talk. They speak of Annabeth and Percy’s honeymoon (“They were heartbroken to not say goodbye to you two.” “Just drop it, Valdez.” “Really! I saw tears. Of course, they’ll forgive you as soon as they hear you two were-” “Make that gesture again, and you’ll be able to show it to the habitants of Tartarus.”), and other things Will doesn’t pay much attention to.

“Where do you want this to lead to?” Reyna asks, interrupting mid-sentence Piper, who doesn’t look half-amused.

Nico takes a deep breath. Under the table, Will grazes his fingertips against his leg. “How do you annul an annulment?”

Reyna puts her elbows on the table. “With a lot of paperwork. Possibly, you don’t, and just remarry.”

“You’ll also need to convince our Father and the council,” Hazel adds. “They weren’t happy about the annulment. They have presented new suitors to our Father.”

Will searches Reyna’s gaze, and she nods. He bites his lips, but Nico doesn’t look taken aback.

“I know all of that,” he says. “I’ve convinced them to go to war. I think I can manage marrying again to the man I love.”

Reyna nods. “You’ll have my support.”

“And mine, too,” Hazel adds. She bites her cheek, but a smile breaks on her face. “I can’t believe it took you two this long to realize.”

“You were insufferable at the end,” Reyna says. She shakes her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m happy you worked it out.”

Pipers drums her perfectly kept nails on the table. “I swear to the gods, if you don’t talk about your feelings, I’ll be there to kick you.”

“Should we make a ceremony for the end of the annulment?” Hazel asks. She puts a hand on her mouth. “I’d need a new dress!”

“But we don’t need to remarry, right? With the ceremonies and such.” Will asks. “It’s just about annulling the annulment.”

Nico snorts. “ _Just about_? Don’t flatter me too much.”

“Can’t risk you raising your standards,” Will responds.

Nico laughs, throwing his head back and putting his hands on his belly. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Says the ass.”

Reyna clears her throat, and Will’s cheeks warm with embarrassment. He does his best to avoid Jason’s gaze, as Reyna speaks.

“We will see the details with the King. Lord Apollo’s presence should we required.”

“I’ll talk to him as soon as I reach Delphi,” Will says. “I’d prefer to be the one who breaks the news to him.”

“Do you think he’ll be unhappy?” Nico asks, hesitantly brushing his fingers against Will’s palm.

Will almost bursts out laughing, intertwining their fingers. “I think he’ll cry. By the way, remember Hyacinthus? They’re thinking of having a child.”

“That’s –great, right?”

Will’s smile is so wide, it’s a wonder how it doesn’t crack his face apart.

“Will you two have a child?” Jason asks. It’s the first time he speaks, and his voice is low, little more than a grumble.

“Of course we will, I’m heir to the throne,” Nico responds.

“When?”

Nico bounces his foot against the floor. “Why do you even care?”

“Because I’m your friend, Nico!” The table trembles under Jason’s fist. “And last time you took such a big decision, you ended up making a mistake. Is it you or lust to talk of marriage?”

Sparks erupt from Jason’s body, shadows melt from the walls. Will puts his hand on Nico’s, and the shadows seem to retreat.

“We made a mistake,” Will tells Jason. “But that’s none of your business.”

“I’ll remind you, you are my subject, Lord William.” Jason stands, his knees bump against the table. “And I can still forbid your union to the House of Pluto.”

Nico stands as well, and Will’s hand falls from his. “Don’t think you can talk to him like that.”

“I’m Prince.”

“So am I.”

“This ends now,” Reyna says. Her voice seems to echo through the room. “This room is not filled of ladies, lords and princes. Here, together, we are friends.” Her eyes narrow on Jason. “If you don’t think yourself so, then maybe it’s time for you to leave.”

Even she looks surprised to see him walk away.

“Will you come visit me in my dreams?” Will asks, as Nico presses his knuckles to his lips.

“Of course.”

Will raises his eyebrows. “For real, this time?”

Nico nods, embarrassment as hot as the shining sun. “And I’ll write. I’ll also read every letter you’ve sent me.”

Will smiles, his eyes avoid Nico’s. “I expect an answer to each letter.”

“Then I’ll get on writing as soon as I get home.” Nico presses one last kiss to Will’s knuckles. One of the women on the balcony fans her face, leaning forward to listen better. Nico raises his eyebrows at her, and she blushes. She doesn’t retreat.

“I’m afraid we are the talk of the castle,” Will says, following Nico’s gaze.

“I’m afraid so.” He can’t help a smile. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

Will shakes his head. “Do you really need to go now?”

“I need to talk to my Father, before the council does. Anyway, I’ll see you tonight again.” Nico leaves Will’s hands, and takes a necklace off his neck.

The pendant is a ring, golden with a black gem. Will doesn’t need to see the incision to know it’s there. _Nicholas di Angelo._ Nico’s much earned title. It catches the sun light, almost blinding. Nico sees surprise in Will’s expression.

“You didn’t have it on you yesterday night,” Will says. “You only had yours.”

“Reyna was keeping this. She gave it to me when I was getting dressed earlier.” Nico puts it on Will’s neck, his hands linger on his neck. Will shivers under his touch. “It’ll start meaning something again, soon.”

_When we’ll be married again._ How difficult can that be? He just needs to convince his Father. Then the council. Easy.

“It still does, to me,” Will says. His breath caresses Nico’s wrists.

Nico caresses the base of Will’s neck, where the soft curls touch the skin. He takes a step forward, and kisses Will soundly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hears someone sigh dreamily. When the kiss breaks, he can’t help the smile on his face.

“See you later, Will.”

He walks down the stairs, and for once it’s him who leaves the other behind. It doesn’t feel good.

The King sits on his armchair, a diamond goblet full of wine in one hand, the shine of the setting sun on his face. The crown has been abandoned on a velvet pillow. He doesn’t turn when Nico is announced. He only raises his hand in greeting.

“You should have left the Palace of Waves tomorrow,” he says, as Nico joins him on the balcony. He raises an eyebrow in his son’s direction, as a skeleton brings him a chair. “We have living servants, Nico.”

“Skeletons talk far less.” Nico sits, taking a deep breath. “Hazel and Reyna are still in Nethun.”

Hades nods, curling his lips. “I would wonder about what, if the council hadn’t told me of your _funny_ night.”

Heat creeps up Nico’s cheeks. “I wanted to be the first to tell you.”

“I understand, I think.” Surprise is a fierce reminder that Nico isn’t only in front of the King, but of his Father as well. “When we talked of the annulment, you said Lord William wasn’t happy. Never said a thing about your own unhappiness. Were _you_ happy with him?”

It’s with such reminder that Nico tries to speak freely. “I was, but it often felt like grasping vapor. I was so sure he hated me.”

“He didn’t?”

“No.”

“Does he love you?”

Does Nico not hope so? “He says so.”

“Do you believe him?”

Soft touches and sweet glances, freckled hands tucking his hair behind his ears. Heat blossoms in Nico’s chest, from head to toe he’s shaken with this new feeling.

“I do.”

“Do you love him, or do you love that he loves you?”

“I didn’t know he loved me when I started falling in love.” Nico sits straighter, trying to keep his mind anchored to reality, instead of getting lost in Delphi’s caves, the stables, the balcony of their shared quarters. “I wish to be his husband again.”

“There is a saying, in your mother’s lands. _Certi amori fanno giri immensi, poi ritornano._ Is that what you believe for Lord William and yourself?”

_Some loves make infinite journeys, then come back._ The sole idea makes something old and almost forgotten part of Nico joy. Is this some sort of test? His Father is not above testing his own son, and failing him if necessary.

“Every time you ask a question, you make it sound as though you already know the answer. I want to marry him, he wants to marry me. Is it so wrong?”

“You put us in a difficult position when you asked a divorce. You see him once, and all your doubts seem to go away.”

“We talked. I realize we should have done so sooner. But you told me I should try to be happy, and it’s what I’m trying to do with him.”

Hades brings the goblet to his lips. When he speaks, his words smell of wine. “I know. I have not lost my memory, yet. You do understand, there is no changing your mind this time, no turning back?”

A weight is lifted from Nico’s shoulders. “I do.”

“Good. About the council,” Hades sighs, raising his goblet. He doesn’t drink, but studies the way the dying sun colors the liquid. “There is no convincing it. You never would. The council can make no claim on your personal life, no matter what they believe. You are Prince, they are your subjects. Marry Lord William again, don’t ask for their permission. You can go, now.”

“Thank you for your time, Father.”

Will is dressed in a white shirt and dark pants. He sits on the shore of the lake of Delphi, the castle behind him burns in golden. There are daises at his feet, a flower crown in his hands, one on his head.

He raises his eyes, in time to see Nico kneel in front of him. How beautiful can one man be?

As Will crowns him, Nico speaks.

“Marry me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the way, if anyone wants to find me on tumblr, i think i'm called pls-let-me-out   
> also, thanks for reading this   
> i might expand this and make it a serie, to end the storyline about witchcraft (especially Hazel being a witch) and resolve the conflict between Jason and Will/Nico  
> let me know what you think, thank you for everything <3

**Author's Note:**

> The names of the houses are taken from Etruscan mythology, because I'm really cultured. I have very little idea where this might lead, but I liked the prompt, so here we are. Let me know what you think, or don't, didn't mean to sound so aggressive.


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